Back to the Future
by PurdyBaby
Summary: After the well closed, Inuyasha manages to cross over to Kagome's era after five years. Complications arise when a familiar face goes missing. Can their love last or will it be too much? Sequel to Unfortunate Life Decisions. COMPLETE! COVER ART MADE BY ME!
1. Back to The Future Chp 1

**A/N: Sequel to Unfortunate Life Decisions. Very poor summation of ULD: Beads Broke, He was a dick, Kagome got hurt, Jewel Destroyed, Kagome sent to her era, Inuyasha manages to make it to her era. ANNNNDDDD...**

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" ** _INUYASHA_**!" Sota damn near screamed as he ran towards the hanyou grinning broadly at him, " ** _YOU'RE BACK! SIS SAID YOU WEREN'T COMING BACK_**!"

As the much taller young man made impact with his childhood hero, Inuyasha wrapped his arms tightly around the young man and pulled back only to find someone tugging – painfully – on his ear, dragging him off to the side.

"You are _not_ taking her back to your side of the well," Gramps hissed angrily, "She has worked too hard to get to this point. You may not understand what a big day this is but listen here…"

"I'm staying on this side," Inuyasha interrupted him cheerily– his good mood making him blind to the axe hovering over his head, "We're going to be together now."

"Like _hell_ you are," Gramps gasped incrediously, "How on _earth_ will you provide for her? You have _no_ documents, _no_ education, _no_ prospects. No sir, it'd be better for her if you just went back to your time."

Paling visibly, Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock as he mouthed wordlessly before managing to croak, "I…I can provide for her."

" _How_?" Gramps huffed to which the hanyou merely mouthed wordlessly as he struggled to come with a logical response, "Now I'll give you the day boy but come morning you best be _gone_."

Nodding numbly, Inuyasha remained frozen where he was – staring blankly at the numerous smiling faces in front of him as they milled about – as Gramps turned to head back to his family just a little ways away. With each passing second, his stomach tightened, churned and ached all the more. Five years. He'd waited to be reunited with her for _five_ _**years**_ and now he was being told _that_ wasn't good enough. Kagome was the first and only person to ever see that part of his soul that he'd never wanted to let out. When she was pulled away from him – the jewel's last act of vengeance against them – he had called for her, held out his hands and let his face become wet with tears he'd never shown _anyone_ before in his grief. And _none_ of that was enough. He didn't belong in this era. Never had and apparently, never would.

"Inuyasha?" came Kagome's soft voice from behind him, "Are you alright? I thought maybe we could go to my apartment and freshen up before heading out to dinner in a few hours but…"

"Do you want me to go?" Inuyasha's soft spoken question took Kagome aback as she moved to look into his face while he continued, "Did I mess up your life by coming back?"

"What? **_No_**! What gave you _that_ idea?" Kagome asked incredulously as she reached up and cupped his face – smiling softly when he leaned into her touch and gazed down at her with love shining in his eyes.

"No reason," Inuyasha lied lamely as he gave her a partial smile before furrowing his brow and sighing heavily, "Just…I don't have the education you do and…and…I don't…"

"That's something that we can work on," Kagome soothed warmly - running her thumb gently across his cheek, "My new job is in a different city but while I'm at work, you can go to school during the day if you want. If not, I'm sure you can do _something_. Not _every_ job requires an education in this era."

"Okay," Inuyasha sighed in relief as he gave her a more genuine smile before his smile faltered, "But I've got a lot to learn in any case. Can we…um…I think I need different clothes."

"We can go shopping if you want," Kagome offered kindly before looking mournfully down at his signature robe, "But I'll miss these. So much."

As Inuyasha glanced around, he added timidly - suddenly acting uncharacteristically insecure, "And I'd...to better fit in, can I...should we cut my hair?"

"If you really want," Kagome agreed uneasily, "I don't want you to change for me. That isn't necessary. I have always loved you for who you are and nothing is going to change that."

Relaxing visibly, Inuyasha smiled down at her as he brushed a stray hair back behind her ear, "I love you too. I just want to make you happy. I want to do whatever it'll take to make this work. I...I don't want to be a burden, you know?"

"You're _never_ going to be a burden to me," Kagome chuckled, " _Ever_."

"You say that but I don't see anyone else carrying around a sword," Inuyasha teased lightly - awkwardness pervading his tone as he glanced down anxiously. Sighing, Kagome forced him to look at her again, "Nothing is taking you away from me again. You hear me. Nothing. I don't care if you grow wings or a tail or suddenly became purple with yellow spots. You're stuck with me."

Giving her a shy grin, Inuyasha firmly gripped her hand in his own. He'd prove to that old man he was worthy of Kagome. He'd show them all.


	2. Back to the Future Chp 2

**A/N: Okay I cheated and stole a piece from Spooky Scary Skeletons because I liked how it was written and _relevance_.**

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Inuyasha frowned and fidgeted anxiously as he looked at himself in the mirror. He'd avoided most of what she picked out because he couldn't figure out what the hell was plastered on it or didn't know how to even put it on. As he looked down at himself one thought echoed in his mind.

Is this ...was this _really_ what guys wore in her era?

It seemed really... _tight_...for lack of a better term. Sure, people didn't fight all the time anymore but _still_...he felt...well down right naked and exposed after living his whole life in billowing robes. The shirt's color wasn't that bad. He'd never considered wearing black, the red of the, uh, _flannel_ – yeah that's it - before and _yeah_ the blue color of the pants wasn't _terrible_ but damn, he looked so...so _weak._

Taking a step back, he glanced up at his face for a moment and fell into the trap so many of us have found ourselves in when presented with a full size mirror in an overly bright stall that crooned a soft yet silent _let's play a game_. A game the world's most unflattering lighting and our own general insecurities from trying on new clothes liked to call ' _dear god is that what I really look like_ '. It is a little acknowledged fact that you never feel more unattractive than in a dressing room. It's a sales gimmick to be sure because the second you try one something that doesn't make you look like ass in that light, you bet your buns you're gunna buy it to boost your confidence because _damn_ son, if it looked good in there it's got to look better in actual sunlight.

Walking up to the mirror, he stared at his face for a moment and grimaced at the small imperfections he'd never even realized he possessed. There were small circles under his eyes, a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose, dozens of very faint nearly invisible scars littered his cheeks, one of his eyes was slightly bigger than the other and…and...

His strange looking eyes of _course_ managed to travel up to his ears...his unnatural, altogether inhuman looking dog ears - which did actually look more cat like than anything now that he'd finally got an honest look at them. Twitching them slightly, his heart fell to the bottom of his stomach at how gross and veiny they looked when they moved. No _wonder_ people always brought them up. They were almost impossible to miss and his unruly hair – which would soon be gone, he realized with a pang of mourning- and those circles and...and... oh _gawd_.

What the _hell_ did she ever see in him?!

It didn't matter. If this is what guys in her era wore – which it must be as it was being sold in this market….no this _mall_ – then by god he was going to wear it. Despite how functional his clothing had been in his era, they made him stand out like a sore thumb in this one. The _worst_ part was that he needed more than _one_ outfit. He'd already tried on god knows how many types of pants just to determine his _size_ and that was torture in and of itself. Now, the real game began.

"How are you doing in there?" Kagome called out suddenly as she rapped lightly on the door, "I have a few more things I'd like you to try on if you're up to it. We can always come back if not."

Grimacing, Inuyasha released a shuddering breath as he fiddled with the lock and as the door swung open, he tried to give her a reassuring smile as he took the small pile of clothes from her – all the while repeating that mantra in his mind….

 _'Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes.'_

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 **"** Alright, so this is my apartment," Kagome announced proudly as she tossed her bag onto the small chair nearby, "I had a roommate but they've already moved out."

"Oh," Inuyasha mumbled quietly as he looked around at the multitudinous boxes and tried to pretend that he, in fact, knew what it meant to be a roommate, "So, _she_ lived with you here?"

"Well, it was a he," Kagome admitted before she quickly backtracked when she saw how quickly his face fell, "No, no, it was nothing like what you're thinking. We were only friends. We weren't like that."

Nodding miserably, Inuyasha looked around until his eyes fell squarely on one particular picture frame with an all too familiar image on it. Walking slowly up to it, he picked it up and he sighed as he looked down at a picture Kagome had clearly taken of all of them when she thought they weren't looking. It captured them so well. Sango's winning smile as she stroke Kirara's fur, Miroku meditating in the background, Shippo sucking happily on a lollipop, and him sitting high above them in a tree branch looking down at all of them as he smirked. Despite himself, for the first time he had to admit to himself he was going to miss them... _terribly..._ and he was never going to see any of them ever again. Releasing a shuddering breath, Inuyasha quickly placed the photo back down and turned around, only to find Kagome stared at him with an understanding, sympathetic look.

"I framed that after I got sent back here," she said quietly as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his chest, "I missed all of you _so_ much but...but at least I have you now."

Returning her embrace almost viciously, Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair and inhaled that calming scent that always managed to make everything seem alright as he tried to push those old man's words from his mind. At the end of the day, this is where he belonged. He was hell bent on making this work and working hard had never been a turn off to him before. That old man didn't know...

All those thoughts came to a crashing halt when Kagome's lips brushed the nape of his neck and his eyes fluttered shut on their own accord. As he tightened his arms around her, she slowly kissed her way up his neck before tracing his jaw and pressing her lips passionately against his as her hand came down to palm him gently through his jeans. Groaning, Inuyasha knew he'd have to question his sanity later as he forced himself to break it off and rested his temple lightly against hers.

"Believe me when I say I want that," Inuyasha began shakily as he gently removed her hand, "Really, _really_ want it but...but I think we should wait."

Tilting her head to the side in confusion, Kagome stared at him with her mouth partially open as she tried and failed to figure out exactly what they would be waiting _for_. It wasn't like they could get legally married and as far as she knew, in the feudal era you just kinda announced that you were going to be living together.

"What would we be waiting for?" Kagome asked slowly, "I mean, you're moving in with me aren't you? Where do you expect to _sleep_?"

"I just...there are..." Inuyasha mumbled uncharacteristically as he released her and sighed heavily, "I just don't want you to do something you'll regret later. We should wait until you _know_ this is what you want."

Emitting a small laugh in shock, Kagome rolled her eyes as she moved forward to embrace him again, "I'm not going to regret _anything_. I _know_ I want you. More than _anything_. For as long as I live. What more do you need to hear?"

"I'm not saying that I _don't_ feel the same," Inuyasha began slowly - obviously trying to say the right thing, "It's just...can we just _wait_?"

"Where is this coming from?" Kagome asked quietly, "You were so excited this morning and then you spoke to my grandfather. What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter. I know that..." Inuyasha began with a deep sigh as he averted his eyes before Kagome reached up to cup his cheek and force him to look at her.

"Ignore what _he_ said, you need to listen to _me_ now," Kagome instructed him gently, "I love you. You will never be a burden to me. No matter what happens I will stand by your side. Even if you never find work, that's okay. All I need is you here beside me."

Releasing a shaky sigh, Inuyasha nodded once and swallowed thickly before pulling her into a tight embrace.


	3. Back to the Future Chp 3

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Dinner was a _terribly_ awkward affair. Apparently, Gramps had made his sentiment clear to the other members of the family sans Kagome and they seemed incredibly torn on the issue. A heavy silence settled over the lot of them, thicker than the uneasy tension in the atmosphere. Unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around and tried to avoid making eye contact with either the hanyou or the miko as they picked idly at their meal. Every time Inuyasha opened his mouth to attempt to say something comforting to the Higurashi clan, someone at the table would smile in that tense way people tended to do when they were trying to bite their tongue. Sadly, the hanyou felt _painfully_ out of place, like that sad piece of pepperoni that accidentally made its way onto vegetarian pizza.

"So Inuyasha," Sota interjected suddenly – breaking the tense uncomfortable silence as he popped a small pickle into his mouth, "What've you been doing past five years?"

Giving the much grown boy an appreciate smirk, the hanyou swallowed thickly before responding, "I've mainly done demon exterminations and gather supplies like wood, furs, meat. That sort of thing."

"So _nothing_ applicable to this age," Gramps retorted tersely as he rolled his shoulders and gave the hanyou a cold glare, "Things that would _only_ be useful in _that_ era."

"Grandpa!" Kagome gasped in an affronted tone, "What is your problem?"

"My problem?" the old man gasped incredulously, "This _fool_ boy almost ruined your life once _already_ and now he's come back for _seconds_! You can't honestly expect me to be overjoyed that you are so willing to jump back into his arms. I remember how often you came home _crying_ because of him. How you woke up in that hospital gravely maimed _without_ explanation. How much you _hated_ him. Now you expect me to forgive and forget?!"

"But we were together _after_ that," Kagome sighed exasperatedly as Inuyasha slouched down defeatedly in his chair, "You didn't complain about that before!"

"How _could_ I?" the elderly man huffed angrily, "That…that half-demon came back to fetch you whenever he thought you were taking too long - ruining your education, putting you in danger - and I was in _no_ position to stop him but _not_ this time. _This_ time I'm putting my foot down. He needs to leave you alone. He's controlling, mean spirited, violent and…and…"

"And I love him. End of discussion," Kagome clipped back coldly before wiping her mouth neatly with her napkin, "I think this dinner is over. Thank you, Mama. I would love to stay but it seems we're unwelcome here."

"Oh no dear, don't leave," Ms. Higurashi pleaded desperately as she sent a withering glare at her father-in-law, "We still have dessert and presents and…and…"

"If he isn't welcome here, then I'm not either," Kagome responded simply as she stood to leave. Sighing heavily, she gave her mother an apologetic grimace as she whispered quietly, "I'm sorry. I'll call you later."

"Do something," Ms. Higurashi hissed to the grandfather sitting smugly in his seat giving his daughter by marriage a cold, superior look as he slowly shook his head. Grabbing the stunned and much chagrined Inuyasha's hand, Kagome nearly tore her purse from the hook on the wall and led him outside into the darkness.

"Kagome, I don't want to come between you and your family," he pleaded quietly as he followed her – a numb, sickening feeling growing in his gut, "That's not what I want."

"I always knew I'd have to choose," Kagome answered defiantly as she continued to tug him behind her, "It just happened differently than I thought it would."

"Kagome," he pleaded again at a loss of what to say as he glanced over his shoulder – his heart plummeting into his stomach at the sight of a teary eyed Mama watching them leave from the window, "You need to go back. Go back and celebrate with your family. I'll wait outside or…or _something_ but you need to go back."

"No," Kagome clipped as she pulled him down the steps, "My place is with you and if Gramps is too blind to see it then…"

"He makes a point though," Inuyasha admitted even as he kicked himself for even bringing that up, "I can't provide for you here."

"And I _don't_ **_care_** ," Kagome responded without missing a beat, "This _isn't_ the feudal era. _Women_ can be the primary income earners here and that isn't looked down upon. Plus, we can figure something out for you to do if you want to but again, I _don't_ **_care_**."

Grimacing, Inuyasha wanted to press the issue further but no matter how hard he tried, the words and the will to convince her not to be with him merely wouldn't come. Instead, he sighed sadly and asked in a defeated tone, "What will you be doing?"

"I'll be an accountant," Kagome responded – a bit of an edge in her tone, "Basically, I manage money for people."

Nodding numbly, Inuyasha tried to act like he truly understood her newfound occupation even as he tried to fight off the urge to vomit. Here was yet another thing he wasn't going to understand in the ever mounting pile of crap he didn't understand about this world. How the _hell_ did he ever think he could make this work? He knew next to _nothing_ about this era. It killed him to admit it but her grandfather was right and Kagome was wrong. Coming to live with her in this era was yet another terribly unfortunate life decision in a long line of terrible life decisions. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his frazzled nerves as he followed her into the subway station. It would be alright. He wasn't stupid. He could learn. It'd be alright. It'd be…

 ** _"Hey you! You can't bring that sword into the subway."_**

Or maybe not.


	4. Back to the Future Chp 4

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In the soft morning light, Inuyasha couldn't help but wish he was on his way to an extermination with Miroku or doing a perimeter run around his old village - ready to return to many smiling faces and breakfast with his small makeshift family. His cheeks hurt from forcing himself to smile the entirety of the evening prior. The corners of his lips had fought to fall down and the reveal his true feelings on the matter but...but he couldn't let her know how coming between her and her family made him feel. Sure, her mother was coming to help her pack today - without Kagome's grandfather - but it was because of him they weren't welcome in her childhood home any longer.

"Hey, you never came to bed last night," Kagome's softly spoken question made him nearly jump out of his skin - somehow he hadn't heard her approaching and that additional kick in the pants made his own self-loathing that much worse. As the hanyou stared into the miko's sapphire eyes, he was determined not to look away first. He was certain that she knew he was trying to hide something, but still he was determined to fool her. And so he contorted his lips into an awkward soft smile that was similar to the true smile he'd worn yesterday but his cheeks were not so compromising. He could feel their reluctance to be molded thusly and given the expression on Kagome's face, she could see what he was trying so hard to hide. As she knelt down beside him, he finally allowed his false cheeriness to fall to the wayside as he glanced at her out of the corner his eye.

"I love you," she voiced quietly as she scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder, "So very much."

Releasing a shuddering sigh, he placed a gentle kiss atop her head before resting his cheek against her hair as he whispered the sentiment back to her. For whatever reason, the rejection of their union coming from a rational place rather than a place of bigotry was so much harder to swallow. When they'd arrived home last night, Kagome had done her best to convince him that his coming back to her was the best thing that had ever happened and it had worked... _slightly_. More than anything, he wanted this to work. Still it was hard to ignore the cold hard truth that perhaps he should have just left well enough alone.

"Do you miss her?" she asked quietly after a moment as she buried her nose against the nape of his neck, "There are so many times I wish she was here. I offered to have her stay on my side of the well you know. She would've been safe. She could've survived."

"You were much closer to Kikyo than I ever was...if I'm being perfectly honest," Inuyasha chuckled lightly before adding in a more solemn tone, "You two were inseparable for a good while but yeah, I miss her. That's one of my biggest regrets. I was so focused on striking him down I didn't...I wasn't..."

"She forgave you. I know she did," Kagome soothed as she sniffled lightly, "Kikyo wouldn't've wanted you to beat yourself up over her death. She found peace."

"Do you know what her request was of me in exchange for saving you?" Inuyasha asked quietly as he gently scooped Kagome into his lap and held her tightly, "She wanted me to learn from my mistakes, protect you and fight _'like hell'_ to live another day."

"Yeah she did get a lot more cheeky towards the end didn't she?" Kagome half-laughed half-choked as she wrapped one arm lazily around his neck and sighing, "Why don't you come to bed, just for a little bit? I'm sure you're exhausted and there's no reason to punish yourself because of someone else's decision. _They_ don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Its not _their_ life."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk as he incrementally tightened his grip around her. Kagome always understood the significance of things, why hurtful comments hurt. She was able to read him so well - although in this case, the reason was a little more obvious than usual. Nodding, he bent down and pressed his lips gently against hers in response before allowing her to lead him into the bedroom. They would still wait but... _cuddling_ never killed anyone to the best of his knowledge but that type of physical affection did have the power to make everything seem alright again.

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As it had been for the majority of the night, Tessaiga sat idly beside the front door. The sword in itself was now entirely pointless in the hanyou's opinion. A little thing that had never been necessary prior to the quest for jewel shards. One hundred and fifty years had passed without its influence. Never before it's introduction had he ever had a problem. It was just a crutch. Something he'd come to rely on for fear of turning into something he now feared but in this day and age, there was no reason to bring it with him any longer. It was a relic of the past. An _obstacle_. A _hindrance_. Something that made him stand out that much more in this strange time. The very _last_ thing he needed. Nothing more, nothing less.


	5. Back to The Future Chp 5

**A/N: Another Slow Chapter I know but it's going to pick up, promise.**

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Cardboard boxes lay strewn about the empty studio apartment's floor - various descriptions scrawled on their faces in black broad felt-tip marker. That first night in Osaka was strangely reminiscent of their time during the quest to complete the jewel - camping out in a house full of boxes with only a sleeping bag, a kettle and some ramen packets unpacked, unfettered light streaming through the bare windows highlighting the dust swirls in the white morning light.

Unfortunately, changing eras had done little to alter Inuyasha's biological clock, he still woke numerous times during the night at every slight sound - more often than usual if he was honest given the noisy nature of he 21st century -and once the sun rose, there was no chance he'd be able to sleep any longer. With a heavy sigh, he tried to overcome his exhaustion and skillfully removed himself from the sleeping bag he shared with his miko before moving softly towards the bathroom.

Strangely, the bathroom was his favorite part of this new apartment. It had an almost earthy feel. The walls were made of large format tiles of marbled tan honed travertine and the floor was made of reddish tiles. The vanities were of a dark wood and the counters were a brilliant white quartz. There was a small window completely overshadowed by - from he could tell - the single solitary tree that grew in this part of the cement jungle Kagome had moved into. The tree was comforting in a way - making it look as though they were merely in a small home surrounded by the greenery he'd become so accustomed to being around.

Over the course of the past few days, they each had taken time to get to know each other all over again. Kagome's reaction - or lack thereof - to her grandfather's attitude seemingly had a source. The summer before she graduated from high school she had spent the majority of the time locked inside the well house, attempting time and time again to return. Concerned over this behavior and not knowing what else to do, her grandfather had done the only thing he could think of and forcibly admitted her into a mental hospital for having hallucinations and delusions of a time and place she couldn't possibly ever know...except that she _did_ and he _knew_ it Despite her mother's efforts to remove her, there was too much documented evidence of her talking about such things to her family - recorded as part of his plan to finally have her looking forward rather than behind - and video after video of her repeatedly attempting to jump into the well. The next year was a terribly awkward affair with her family - she refused to acknowledge her grandfather at all, only coming home to sleep, spending all her spare time at the library rather than home. Once she turned eighteen, she left for university and never looked back. Sure, she visited a few to times per month to try the well and on occasion visit the other family members but she refused to act like he was even in the room. His betrayal - after _everything_ \- was something _very_ hard to forgive. When her grandfather's health began to decline, however, she began trying to make an effort to get on better terms but then, when Inuyasha returned and her grandfather had objected...that was the final straw...for the moment at least.

Inuyasha for his part didn't have anything near as intense as she had experienced. His life had merely felt like a blur where he stood still as the other's moved forward with their lives around him. He was going nowhere, having no one, just taking life day by day. The only highlight of such a life was him attempting to use the well again as he had every three days. It was the one thing that gave him something to look forward to - a hope and a prayer that something would change for the better.

As he stood there trying to collect himself, Inuyasha found himself staring in the mirror once more. His long silver hair had been with him his whole life, the only thing that had ever stuck by his side through thick and thin but it was time to leave the past in the past and his hair was merely a casualty of such a decision. They'd taken to experimenting with various hats whenever they went out - every wisp of white hair tucked into a hat of some kind. Despite it being much too warm, he'd taken a liking to the thing Kagome called a beanie. It was soft and breathable unlike so many of the others and it was one of the more flattering styles. Anything to look more like he fit into this new world. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward and looked at himself with a strange determined look.

"You are going to go out there and find someone to take you on as an apprentice," he instructed himself in a falsely confident tone, "You are going to make this work even if it kills you."

Over and over he repeated the mantra as he changed into some clean clothes Kagome had gotten him for his job search. They had to be the most uncomfortable clothing mankind ever invented. The pants were itchier than one of Myoga's bites and the white button down shirt was crispy as a piece of paper but the worst were the shoes. No matter how long he lived he'd never get used to the shoes of this era but then again...

"You're going to make this work even if it kills you.

You're going to make this work even if it kills you.

You're going to make this work even if it kills you. "


	6. Back to the Future Chp 6

6718788 yen :: 60K american

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Taking a long shuddering breath, Inuyasha's nerves were frayed right down to the quick. The woman at the front desk had ushered him in here roughly thirty minutes or so ago and still no one had come in this hellhole. The interview room was tasteful in a corporate, standardized sort of way - nothing interesting enough to cause offence no matter what a person's preferences might be. Small, square, bland with two plastic chairs, a table that'd seen better days and an empty water dispenser. The window was cracked, allowing a faint but still _very_ present smell of car exhaust to flow into the room. The walls were cream and bare save a small blaring neon sign above the door.

Despite the terrible décor, at least with _this_ interview they'd actually done more than just give him a very forced smile and waiting until they thought he wouldn't notice before dropping that all important piece of paper into their trash can. It'd been a painful week to say the least. Kagome had been arriving home hours after she promised to be home and he'd been rejected from enough jobs to build a veritable portfolio of how many things he wasn't qualified to do. It didn't help that he didn't have any papers. That was a more significant obstacle than either of them foresaw and one that seemed damn near _impossible_ to solve. Wasn't like there was a look alike running around to get some extra backup documents by feigning their own were lost.

Rapping his claws anxiously against the worn wooden table, Inuyasha let out a shuddering sigh and bounced his knee anxiously. He wasn't even really sure what this job was even for if he was being perfectly honest. He hadn't bothered to even ask specifics when he turned in the application. All he cared about was that 'help wanted' sign in the window.

Just as he closed his eyes to run over the long list of things Kagome helped him memorize, the door swung open and a good looking, blue eyed, ebony haired man about his age suddenly sauntered in holding a small packet before plopping down at the seat across from him. Blinking rapidly, the hanyou's brain went into overdrive at the man who looked just like...

" _Miroku_ ," Inuyasha whispered breathlessly before realizing what a strange thing it was to say to the doppelgänger when the man merely cocked his head to the side and gave him a strange grin.

"I've been called many things but that's not one of them," the man snickered as he dumped the contents of the small manila envelope onto the table, "You know, normally I'd count it against you that you forgot your ID at home but anyone who was this so neatly prepared and had a friend nice enough to run across town to deliver it I just had to meet."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Inuyasha felt a sense of dread flood over him as the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. They too had thought he had documents.

"Alright, lets see, lets see," the man muttered to himself as he rifled through the papers haphazardly - tossing aside those which he believed to be irrelevant, "So Arioka Inuyasha, born 1979, dropped out of school in the eight grade, experience in security..."

Jaw dropping in surprise, Inuyasha quickly tried to compose himself as the man sighed heavily and moved a solitary hand to rub at his jaw as though he was deep in thought.

"You know, I feel like I've met you before," the man said slowly as he gave the hanyou a once over, "So I'll tell you what. Since you've got some experience in security, I'll give you the body guard position on a probationary basis but if I get killed, I'll be seriously pissed off."

"If you get killed..." Inuyasha asked slowly as he gave the man an incredious look, "Who are you exactly?"

"That's not surprising that you don't know," the man laughed heartily before adding as he gave the hanyou an expectant smile, "I'm the heir to the Super Sentai franchise."

"The what now?" Inuyasha asked as his face flushed a light pink and he fidgeted slightly in his seat. The man's brows shot up into his unruly hair before he composed himself and gave the silver haired man a pleasantly surprised smile, "It's a _really_ popular series. It's even reached the United States. They call it Power Rangers there."

Shaking his head slowly, Inuyasha chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck as he tried to come up with a proper response.

"Don't feel obligated to kiss my ass," the monk look alike chuckled, "The only thing you'll really need to be worried about is people trying to kidnap me to get ransom every once in a while."

"I do know a thing or two about people getting kidnapped," Inuyasha snickered as he rolled his eyes. It seemed like every other day back during the jewel search Kagome had managed to get herself kidnapped by some demon or another. Humans would be _much_ easier to defeat.

" _Really_ ," the man chuckled good naturedly, "Well that's good I guess. Can you start tomorrow?"

"How much does it pay?" Inuyasha asked suddenly - Kagome's checklist of things to ask popping back into his head," And...and what are the hours?"

"Oh, uh...I guess I'll start you off at 6718788 yen?" the man stated flippantly, "And the hours would depend on what's happening that week and there _is_ travel involved."

"O...kay..." Inuyasha responded slowly, "May I, uh, talk with my...my girlfriend about it?"

"Oh yeah, course you can," the man responded heartily before shrugging and grinning at him, "If you want it, just show up here tomorrow at 8. Busy day planned, lots to do."

"Alright," Inuyasha responded breathlessly as he stood up and made to leave before the man laughed and held up the small pile of documents.

"Don't forget these," the man offered kindly, "Make sure you bring the ID back tomorrow and your tax identification number and whatever weapon you prefer."

"Is a sword okay?" Inuyasha asked tentatively as he took the envelope with all those papers stacked awkwardly on top - to which the man's sapphire eyes widened as an excited grin spread over his face.

"Oh my god, _yes_!" the man enthused as he stood to shake his new body guard's hand and added much more subdued, "Well, okay, maybe not. You're resume says you're skilled in hand to hand combat so I'd prefer that to be honest. A sword limits where you can go - planes, trains and stuff like that - but this is gunna be great. Listen here's my card. Go to this address if you want this job in the morning."

As he turned to leave the small bland room with the small , Inuyasha felt as happy as a tornado in a trailer park. Finally he had something. Something to make that old man kiss his ass and prove that this was going to work out after all.


	7. Back to the Future Chp7

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 **Back to the Future**

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"That sounds _too_ good to be true," Kagome sighed wearily as she pulled out her ponytail and scratched her aching scalp, "You said it was just some tiny shop with a help wanted sign?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered nervously from his place on the small couch, "I didn't even know what I was applying for and then he came in..."

"I don't trust him," Kagome stated matter of factly before giving him an apologetic smile, "It's just a little _too_ perfect. Some random person drops off documents. A Miroku look alike appears saying he's the heir to this huge franchise? That type of thing just _doesn't_ happen. You know better than that."

" _Do_ I?" Inuyasha clipped back harshly as he gave her a withering glare and the limited reign he had on his nerves snapped clear in half, " _Do_ I know better, Kagome? _Do_ I know that's _not_ something that happens in this era? Do I understand how _anything_ works around here? Shit, it took me three whole _days_ to figure out how to turn the oven on! I _just_ got used to using the subway. Half of the words that I hear thrown around don't make _any_ sense to me. My instincts _still_ go crazy when a truck drives passed me. Do you _honestly_ think I'd know better?! "

"I didn't mean..." Kagome began weakly as she played idly with her hands at a loss of what to say, "I'm sorry."

Closing his eyes and taking a long breath through his nose in an uncharacteristic demonstration of claiming his frazzled nerves, Inuyasha shook his head as he ran a clawed hand through his short, silver mane, "No, I'm sorry. I just...this is the first thing I got that _proves_ I could make it here and the documents just showing up, I didn't want to question it but you're right. Its...its too good to be true."

Sagging visibly, Kagome gave him an sympathetic, understanding smile as she moved to sit down beside him and lay her head on his shoulder, "I just don't want you to get into something bad, you know? It sounds like he's a con artist."

"Well, then it _must_ be Miroku's reincarnation," Inuyasha chuckled darkly as he rested his cheek against her ebony hair, "He could swindle anyone out of anything."

For a moment they merely sat there in silence, taking solace in each other's presence as they each thought back to their friends who they'd never see again.

"I miss them," Kagome finally whispered after a few minutes - her voice shaky with the effort of holding back tears, "I wish we could've stayed on your side. It would've been so much easier."

"Easier for me maybe but...but you worked so hard to stay in school and study that it wouldn't be fair that all of that was for nothing," Inuyasha soothed as he slowly maneuvered them until she lay on top of him - her face set comfortably in the nape of his neck, his arms wrapped loosely around her form, "We'll be fine. I'll get something else and you'll get to see all that hard work pay off."

"You can be really sweet when you want to be," Kagome hummed appreciatively as Inuyasha began gently dragging his claws through her hair, "It's funny to think that the only reason we got to this place is from you being a total asshole."

"That's a nice way of putting it," he muttered playfully under his breath as the arm around her waist tightened incrementally, "The thought still make me cringe"

"Sorry for bringing it up then," she cooed as she raised herself up to look down upon his face, "I can make it up to you though."

"Can you now?" Inuyasha whispered huskily as he raised his hand to brush a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear, "How so?"

"You can go to this job for _one_ day _just_ to see if this guy is for real if..." Kagome whispered softly, " _If_ you finally let us go one step further in our relationship."

Deflating visibly, Inuyasha bit his lip and looked up at her with pleading eyes, "Kagome, I just...I...you _know_ I want to but I still haven't established myself here and...and..."

Tentative fingertips came up to faintly caress his lips effectively silencing him as he stared at her with a mixture of longing and fear. Despite himself, his lips parted ever so upon contact and Kagome took the mere fact that he didn't stop her as a sign that it was okay to continue. The digits moved to the side as she leaned in once, and she hesitated for a part of a second until her sensitive lips came into contact with his. Her fingertips began to pull his face a bit more firmly toward her as she tilted her head- breaking the kiss for a few seconds before resettling with a bit more force. Her other hand began to make its way up to gently tangle itself in his hair and she sighed when she felt his arms begin to tighten around her form. It wasn't too long before he returned the kiss fiercely and flipped them in a feat of inhuman speed so she lay under him as he began to dominate the kiss- his objections seemingly forgotten. Without warning, his hands pinned her arms on each side of her head by the wrist as he moaned and pinned his ears back in pleasure. How long they lay there drinking in each other's essence was unknown. Time lost all meaning as Inuyasha subconsciously rocking his hips against her as Kagome subconsciously wrapped her legs around his thighs their actions growing increasingly heated until they finally pulled apart - their need for oxygen winning the day. Panting heavily, they smiled sheepishly at each other for a moment before Inuyasha leaned forward once more to press a gentle kiss atop her forehead.

"We need to stop," his lips brushed against her skin - his voice sounding husky, strained yet firm, "You might regret it."

"You keep saying that word," Kagome teased lightly as she quoted back the movie they'd watched the night before, "I do not think it means what you think it means."

"Which word is that?" he teased back as he nuzzled her nose lightly. Smiling softly, Kagome reached up to cup his face and ran her thumb across his cheek, "I'll never _regret_ being with you. I _promise_."

Sighing, Inuyasha leaned forward to press his lips lightly against hers before maneuvering until his nose rested securely against her pulse point as he tried to calm his erratically beating heart. For the longest time, the two were merely content to stay in that embrace - knowing that holding off until all was truly secure would make that moment they both desperately wanted so much sweeter.

Tessaiga continued to rest in the umbrella stand- unwanted, unused, forgotten. After a week of disuse, a few spiders had made themselves at home. As far as Inuyasha was concerned, it was merely a relic of the past. Never to be used again. If this job truly was something legitimate, the man had said he'd prefer hand to hand combat which was probably for the best anyway. A magically transforming sword would bring unwanted attention to himself - something he was sorely trying to avoid.

Tomorrow would either be the beginning of his life here in the modern era or it would be him starting back to square one.


	8. Back to the Future Chp 8

**I stole a line from Serenity. Given credit where it due. All hail Firefly.**

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 **Back to the Future**

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Inuyasha likened Osaka to angry bees swarming out of an unsettled hive. The city was always moving. _Always_. Trains, busses, bikes, people all charging ahead to their destinations as though the idea of slowing down would actually kill them. For all that madness and hustle and bustle, it was a beautiful city. There was no sense in denying it. Ubiquitous skyscrapers mingled with traditional architecture effortlessly blended into something that was both familiar to him and yet completely foreign at the same time. As huge amber eyes stared up at the intimidating skyscraper before glancing back down at the card with the security code, his other hand tightened incrementally around the hilt of his sword.

Ah yes, he'd brought the mighty Tessaiga with him. The tiny inkling of guilt for pretending it hadn't existed for the past month finally had wormed its way into his heart and mind. It wasn't that he didn't cherish it any longer. It was more the sword made it more difficult to fit in and so, he shed it just as he had his clothing and hair. There was a grieving period for it just as there had been for the other elements that had made him. Out of all of the things he'd been forced to set aside, it was actually the fire rat robe he'd mourned the most. Yeah, the sword had been damn useful in more ways than one and with it he was a force to be reckoned with but…but the fire rat robe was the last piece of his mother that he had left. It wasn't that he was going soft. Not by any means and he'd strike down the asshole who'd suggest otherwise but… well if he had to pick between one and the other he'd pick keeping the fire rat hands down. It'd been with him since the day he was born and saved his ass more times than he'd ever even _used_ Tessaiga. Both were such intrinsic parts of who he _used_ to be and who he could never truly be again. The only reason he brought Tessaiga with him today was for show and to gauge his new boss' reaction and already he was regretting it.

Everything seemed normal – aside from the glares from the security guards by the front door as they wearily eyed his sword - as he entered through the revolving golden doors into the marble floored lobby with its ornate jade murals and gigantic crystalline chandelier. Even if this new Miroku was a con man, Inuyasha would be hard pressed not to admit he must be a damn good one. The elevator was unlike the others he'd come into contact with – an aged man with a clean pressed navy uniform sat inside looking expectantly at the young man who'd just entered his domain.

"You must be Mr. Arioka. Ryo told me he'd be expecting you this morning," the elderly man said warmly as he beckoned the overwhelmed hanyou forward, "You aren't what I was expecting. You seem rather….how shall I say it…. _thin_."

"Well I pack more of a punch than a human does," Inuyasha replied weakly before his eyes widened in horror when he realized how that sounded. Clearing his throat, he rapped his fingers anxiously against Tessaiga's hilt before adding awkwardly, "I just mean, I, uh, am good at what I do."

"Uh huh," the old man said slowly as he gave the youngster a once over and pulled the lever. As the elevator seamlessly began its ascent, the old man sighed heavily as he gave the young man a kind smile, "Well, you seem much nicer than the last man he hired. There was something _wrong_ with that one. Very rude. He had strange hair like yours as well. Mr. Ishinomori has a very strange taste for guards. That's for sure. Never a pleasant way to start the day when he got on."

"So is he really the heir to….uh, to that show?" Inuyasha mumbled awkwardly as he tried to keep a damper on his nerves.

"Oh my yes," the old man chuckled, "Spoiled rotten and a tendency to gamble away his inheritance like all that money burns a hole in his pocket. Thank goodness his father thought enough ahead to place it in trust. He only gets so much per year."

"Oh," Inuyasha sighed in relief, "So he's _really_ who he said he was."

"His hiring method is unorthodox, I'll give you that," the withered man sighed as he rolled his eyes before adding knowingly, "Did he hire you in a gas station or a shop?"

"Shop I guess," Inuyasha admitted, "I didn't even know what I was applying for or who he was until he told me."

"That doesn't surprise me and I'll never understand how he finds candidates," the old man muttered affectionately as the elevator halted gracefully and the doors slid open straight into a luxurious looking loft, "Now this is…is…"

The loft was many things. Elegant, stylist, modern. Yet despite all the luxurious qualities, there was something that left both men speechless. The strange woman's mangled lip and obviously broken nose were caked in dried blood, congealed and cracked. The now browning blood had drizzled down her face like so much rain down a window pane as her emerald eyes stared unseeing at the two new arrivals. Her arm lay outstretched gracefully towards them – her posture seemingly begging for help that came all too late.

"My god…" the elderly man breathed as he unsteadily got to his feet and made his way over to the young woman, "Who could've done this?"

Glancing around anxiously, Inuyasha's amber eyes soon landed on a small piece of paper laying crumpled a few feet away from the dead body with the scent of the strange man who hired him. It couldn't have been more than an hour since he was last here and the freshness of the scent made it clear this was the last thing he'd touched. Kneeling down, Inuyasha unfurled the crumpled parchment and began to read.

 _Guy killed her. He killed her with a sword. How weird is that? Got a short span here but this guy thought he destroyed all my security cameras. Got one battery powered one though. I thought it was one of the more obvious ones but I think he overlooked it. It's in…._

"What does it say?" came the elderly man's voice as he held out his trembling hand. As Inuyasha passed the note, his heart fell through to his stomach as he quickly began glancing around for some hard to find battery powered _thing_ in the ransacked apartment.

"Why would anyone do this?" the old man whispered quietly as he turned mournful eyes back onto the slain girl, "So cruel."

"Call for help," Inuyasha instructed as he began to walk through the upset apartment looking for any clues as to the man who hired him's whereabouts or that mysterious camera that he referred to, "Have you seen the girl before?"

"Just last night," the man answered shakily as he reached for his walkie talkie, "He always had a new lady friend each week. She was new. I didn't even know her name."

Shaking his head mournfully, Inuyasha sighed as he scanned the ceiling and his amber eyes landed on a small statute of Buddha with a strange red eye sitting innocently in the corner of the kitchen.

"That's gotta be something," he murmured quietly as he made his way over to it and picked it up, "Hey old man, do you got some way to look at whatever the hell's inside this thing?"

 **XXXXXXX**

Inuyasha huffed as he looked around the slowly peeling paint of empty, cold room at the end of the corridor. The fluorescent lights flickered occasionally as men and women in uniform bustled about anxiously - occasionally casting him a curious look as they went about their business. They'd taken him down here after they'd questioned that old man. It was strange but they didn't seem all that impressed that he'd found the note and the strange small statute. In fact they seemed downright angry that he'd found the small pieces of evidence at all. Whatever was on that tape had to hold some type of clue as to his reincarnated friend's whereabouts and yet it wasn't until the police called the unnerved hanyou into the room that the reason for their behavior was known.

"How did you get this job?" a burly man with a thick ebony mustache growled as he forced – or tried to force more like it – the hanyou into a small metal chair, "Awfully convenient that the day you start Mr. Ishinomori gets kidnapped don't you think?"

"Are you saying I got something to do with this?!" Inuyasha protested angrily as he crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the man, "I didn't do shit!"

"Then why does the man who kidnapped Mr. Ishinomori know your name? How did he get inside and get out without anyone noticing?! A little too convenient you were the one who discovered that mess isn't it? " the police officer snarled, "Are you his accomplice? How long have you been plotting this?"

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about!" Inuyasha snarled right back as his amber eyes flashed dangerously, "I _literally_ don't know anyone in this town except my girlfriend. We _just_ moved here."

"Likely story," the police officer scoffed as he slammed down his clipboard onto the table and leered over the seething hanyou, "Now _you_ tell _me_ …"

" ** _Enough_**!" came another all too familiar voice from over the loud speaker "Kosei get out of here. I'll take over the interrogation thank you very much."

"He's guilty and you fucking know it!" the burly man snapped back, "How else would someone like him get _that_ job?!"

As the interrogation room door opened, a very pissed off looking woman with a long brown ponytail suddenly entered the room and glared at her partner, "Now you've done enough damage. His alibi already checked out. I talked with his girlfriend over the phone just a few minutes ago. We just need to know if he knows the guy on the tape."

Blinking rapidly, Inuyasha stared stupidly at the woman glaring defiantly into the much older man's face before turning towards him with an apologetic smile as she nodded for the other man to leave the room. As the door slammed behind him, the woman turned and made her way to the chair across from him as she gave him an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry, he can be a bit much," she chuckled nervously as she fiddled with a small folder and took out a glossy photograph before sliding it across the table, "Now do you recognize this man?"

If it was possible to die from shock, the hanyou would've been dead right then and there for in that photograph was none other than the smug looking face of Naraku. Mouth hanging open, Inuyasha blinked up at the reincarnation of the slayer and back down at their once arch nemesis and back up before swearing softly under his breath.

" _You've gotta be shitting me…._ "


	9. Back to the Future Chp9

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 **Back to the Future**

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"So you _do_ know him?" the woman asked hesitantly as she looked up from her notes, "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Around five years ago," Inuyasha mumbled miserably before adding quickly when he saw the woman narrow her eyes in suspicion, "But _trust_ me, he was no friend of mine. He made my life and the lives of my friends miserable."

"How so? Could you elaborate?" the woman asked as she scribbled something on her clip board, "Did he threaten you? Attack you?"

"Basically anything you can think of," Inuyasha responded honestly as he picked up the glossy paper, "We thought he died but apparently we were wrong. This isn't good."

"Was Mr. Ishinomoro one of those friends?" the woman asked as she glanced up at him, "Did you know him before he hired you?"

"One of my friends looked exactly like him," Inuyasha sighed – at a loss of how to explain that all this happened over five hundred years ago. Still, if this woman really was Sango's reincarnation she needed to know she might be in danger as well, "It's strange but his, uh, wife looked exactly like you actually. They both died a long time ago now."

"Did this man kill them?" the woman asked as she furrowed her brow. Shaking his head, Inuyasha lowered the photograph and his eyes traced the former slayer's face for a moment before adding quietly, "No, they died of natural causes years ago."

"My deepest condolences. You must miss them. My sister died a few years back in a car accident with several of our friends. I survived with nothing but a scar on my back but your friends must've been very young when they died. It's such a tragedy," the woman sighed sympathetically as she gave him a wistful smile, "What were their names?"

"Miroku and Sango," Inuyasha muttered as he visibly deflated – even in this life Sango was being forced to experience loss but it was reassuring that even in this life she was still so open about it, still able to pull herself up by her bootstraps and carry on.

"Last names," the woman asked quietly as she scribbled. Amber eyes widened in panic before blurting out the first name he could think of, "Uh, Higurashi."

"That's not a common last name. Were they related to your girlfriend?" the woman asked with a gentle laugh which faded when Inuyasha responded, "Not by blood."

"Oh," the woman sighed as she shook her head, "Again, I apologize for digging up the past but we need to know everything we can so we can find the kidnapper. Five years is a long time though so I imagine you don't know all that much about him. Where was the last place you saw him?"

"Near the Higuarshi Shrine in Tokyo," Inuyasha responded honestly, "He disappeared after that. He never bothered us again so we assumed he'd died."

"He must've gone into hiding," the woman groaned as she cracked her neck and flipped through the pages, "Why would he show himself now after five years?"

Grimacing, Inuyasha merely shrugged as his gut tied itself into a knot as he lied lamely, "I dunno."

"Well this isn't a lot to go on," the woman told him bluntly, "Would you consent to a search of your apartment? I want to get that guy off your back and I'd like to see a picture of your friends. Maybe that'll be a clue."

"Right," Inuyasha answered awkwardly, "Sure, uh, I guess you can."

"Fantastic," the woman sighed happily, "I was worried you'd fight me on that. If anything you have a target on your back as much as the guy they kidnapped. Plus your story checks out. In the video, the man keeps muttered five names over and over. The two friends you mentioned - Miroku and Sango. Your girlfriend and you. Then a fifth name – Shippo. If we had pictures of them that'd really be helpful to see if there's any clues there."

"Those names huh," Inuyasha grumbled miserably as the blood froze in his veins, " _That's_ who he's targeting?"

"Well we aren't even sure that this man is the same one who attacked you so many years ago. There could be some _other_ connection or there could've been something in Ryo's home. You _were_ just hired and your girlfriend _is_ a contact on your application. Maybe the other names were around his penthouse as well. We're exploring _all_ options," the woman soothed before adding placatingly, "Plus, _many_ people look alike."

"If only you knew," Inuyasha chuckled darkly as he gave the woman a small affectionate smirk before his face turned serious, "I want to help find this guy if at all possible. Is there anything I can do?"

"It's a police matter now," the woman sighed, "We can't have a civilian interfering with the investigation. Especially one who carried a sword into a crime scene where the murder weapon was a sword. You've got half the force thinking it was you as it was. You know, a lot of times murderers return to the scene of the crime and then here you come waltzing in with a sword. It doesn't look good. So I want you to just lay low and keep your head down. Jut because that sword didn't come back positive for DNA evidence doesn't mean you're not a suspect, alright?"

"You need to be careful too," Inuyasha muttered sincerely as he reached across and gently placed his hand on the woman's arm, "I'm serious. If its him, this man is _very_ dangerous."

"I'll be fine," the woman chuckled, "I've faced way worse criminals than him."

Inuyasha wasn't quite so sure.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Nothing made sense anymore. _Nothing_. It had started as a dream. Something easily dismissed and something that made him wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. They were so easy to brush off as nothing. Since when did he have tentacles and what was with that fur? But then, oh but then, those dreams began happening with increased frequency. Those men and women from his dream began appearing in the news or in the street. One of them even had the gaul to take up a career in law enforcement. As though she didn't know that her and her friends had murdered him in cold blood. But how was he alive if he was dead? It was obvious. He must've gotten away somehow - crawled away and survived. Somehow blocking that part of his life tightly away in the recess of his mind. But now he knew and soon they would know it as well. So why did this one deny it so? The game was up, didn't he understand?

"No, no, no, no, no. You're _him_. I _know_ you're him," the dark haired man with wild eyes whispered manically as he wrapped his hand tightly around the young man's already bound wrist, "I don't know how I know but since those memories flooded my mind, it's haunted me day and night. You and your so-called friends tried to murder me. Tell me _why_."

"I've _told_ you," Ryo told the man hoarsely as he spit out a mouthful of blood - the unfortunate result of one too many punches to the face, "I've never met you before in my life."

" _Lies_ ," the man hissed as he swayed unsteadily towards him – his tongue somewhat out, his eyes wide and crazed as he cackled manically and grabbed a dull knife, "Maybe you'll talk if I prove to you there's a hole in your hand. It's in there. I _know_ it is."

"Are you insane?!" Ryo screamed desperately as he tried fruitlessly to break free, "I _don't_ have a hole in my hand. I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

"Oh you will," the man laughed like a mental patient as he smirked at him and raised the knife high above his head, "You _will_."

Bringing the dull blade down with all his might onto the young man's wrist, the man let out a satisfied sigh as his victim let out a blood curdling scream before it cut off unnaturally as he lost consciousness.

"See, there's a hole in your hand," he whispered in relief as he yanked the knife out of the bone it had become embedded in -the cut far from clean, "Don't you _see_? It's been there all along. _Just_ like I told you. You can't trick me Miroku. I knew it was you."


	10. Back to the Future Chp 10

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 **Back to the Future**

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Traditional looking homes gave way to empty barren road a good twenty minutes ago and the outskirts had begun taking on more of a junkyard look than anything. Old abandoned machinery lined the ill-paved road covered - the skeletal rusted remains of what they once were adding to the general feeling of dread lodged in her mind as she continued driving.

"Chiyo, this _can't_ be right," the burly man beside her huffed as he rapped his fingers against the hand rest, "Your informant is leading us into a trap."

"Its worth checking out," the woman sighed heavily, her chocolate eyes surveying every possible hiding location as they continued forward, "He said there's an abandoned warehouse out here and the traffic cameras indicate this was the direction that psycho was headed. All we're doing is checking out a lead. We're not going in if he's there."

"Still, this man is _obviously_ ill," the man pressed as he leaned back in the passenger seat, "Just a few months ago he was a successful accountant. Married. Two kids. And now look at him. Mumbling to himself. Murdering innocent girls and kidnapping wealthy men. He's going to be unpredictable, that strange guy you brought in is _probably_ his accomplice and both of them are most likely _armed_."

Humming affirmatively, the woman reached up to move her long ponytail over her shoulder before cracking her neck and rapping her fingers against the steering wheel. Her informant was a little strange - that was for sure. He always seemed to know exactly where the culprit was hiding - almost as though he were part of whoever's inner circle. Still, they'd been friends since they were children and he'd never led her wrong before so why would he begin now? Sighing heavily, Chiyo forced her mind back into the present just as the warehouse in question came into view. It was large to say the lease with a curved roof like an aircraft hanger and the walls made of corrugated tin. Indeed that must've been what it was. Surrounding it was dark, broken tarmac - empty except for a solitary forklift and a small pile of various tools devoid entirely of rust. Someone must be close and possible using it for its original purpose again.

"This is an abandoned airfield looks like," the man grunted as they came to a halt, "Do you think he plans on leaving the country?"

"I don't see a plane," Chiyo murmured as she unbuckled herself and opened the car door, "But that doesn't mean anything. He has the money to do it, that's for sure."

The tarmac beneath her feet was surely one that had been worn over time. A white line ran straight from beneath their car to the large, closed sliding door of the tin building, relatively unbroken compared to the scarred and potholed ground around it.

"I'm going in," she whispered quietly as she glanced around, "I don't see a car or anything. It's possible he's not there."

"This seems like a terrible idea," the man warned wearily, "I'd really rather you didn't."

"You'd rather I didn't do a lot of things, Kosei, " Chiyo chided playfully, "Has it ever really backfired on me before?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Kosei chuckled darkly as he gently closed the door, "I'd just rather this not be one of those times."

"Only one way to find out," Chiyo sighed as she began approaching the large enclosed building, "Let's just hope for the best."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Kagome sighed as she rubbed her fingers against her temple, "So Naraku is possibly back and hunting the reincarnations of our old friends. The police think _you_ might've killed someone so you can't leave the city and they're keeping your sword until further notice as possible evidence. Sango is a police officer. Miroku is a playboy rich kid. And you're telling me I can't go to work or leave the house unless you go with me?"

"Yes," Inuyasha answered simply in a tone that left no room for argument before sighing and kneeling down in front of her - using a few fingers to gently force her to look at him, "I _can't_ lose you again. I need to protect you."

Kagome's heart melted as she gave him an affectionate yet exasperated look, "What about Miroku and Sango? Shouldn't you find Shippo too? I mean, I'm not the only one you should be worried about."

"What happens if I find Miroku at the same time the police do?" Inuyasha asked earnestly, "Do you really think that'll go over well? And what if I'm out there finding him and Naraku comes for you next?"

"I'd feel more comfortable if you were out there looking for him with your sword," Kagome replied as Inuyasha ran his thumb across her cheek affectionately, "You haven't been carrying it with you like you should."

"I know," he sighed heavily, "I just...I never needed it before the quest for the jewel shards and as much as it is an extension of myself while _fighting_ , there's no demons trying to attack us all the time in this era."

"It keeps your demon side in check," Kagome pressed as she reached up to stop his ministrations, "Aren't you worried that something might set you off?"

Sighing, Inuyasha nodded in acknowledgement of her question before he furrowed his brow and gave her a reassuring look, "I only had problems with that if I was close to dying or if there was a jewel shard involved. I didn't foresee that being a problem in this era so I just..."

"Naraku is possibly out there hunting you and you _don't_ foresee _that_ being a problem?" Kagome asked with a snort.

"Okay, _now_ its a problem," Inuyasha admitted with a small smirk as he rolled his eyes, "But there's nothing I can do about it. The police took Tessaiga and won't give it back until I'm ruled out as a suspect or whatever. I just have to deal with it and hope it's not a problem."

"Alright," Kagome sighed as she raised her hand to gently cup his face and she leaned forward to press her lips against his. The kiss was soft and gentle but spoke volumes as to the concern each felt for the other. After a few heady moments, Inuyasha broke off the kiss and leaned his temple against hers.

"Sango will be here in a few hours to look around the apartment," Inuyasha sighed, "We should probably clean up a bit, huh?"

"I imagine so," Kagome pouted slightly as she gently ducked down to give him another kiss, "But after she's..."

A sudden, desperate sounding knock at the door had both miko and hanyou jumping as their heads whipped towards the front door. Giving Kagome a pointed look that was a clear order to stay put, Inuyasha slowly got to his feet and made him way wearily towards the door before his ears suddenly perked up and his pace quickened.

"Shippo," he breathed as he opened the door - the man's ebony hair and overall different look made no difference to hide his scent. Sagging visibly in relief, his form shimmered and Inuyasha's grin grew gave the fully grown red haired kit an affectionate once over, "I never thought..."

"Naraku took my son," Shippo responded breathlessly - cutting the hanyou off in his haste as he entered the apartment before giving Kagome an affectionate yet apologetic look, "I really had wished we would've met under better circumstances. I was waiting until the right time but...but now..."

"Don't apologize Shippo," Kagome hushed him as she rose and pulled the grown man into a tight embrace, "There's so much I want to know but right now, we've got bigger things going on. He's taken Miroku's reincarnation as well.

"Oh," Shippo's baritone voice breathed anxiously as he collapsed onto one of their easy chairs and buried his face in his hands, "I don't understand how this could happen. His scent was completely different but I have these security cameras outside my house and there was _no_ denying that face. My son was just playing in the front yard. I never even...I failed...I..."

"Shippo, we're going to find your son," Inuyasha announced as a stony determined look crossed his face, "I promise. We'll do it together."

"I knew you'd help me," Shippo breathed in a relieved tone, "I didn't want to go to the police since it might be a demon matter although you know Sango's reincarnation works there, right?"

"Yeah, met her this morning actually," Inuyasha grunted in an annoyed tone, "She's the only one who thinks I'm not a suspect in a murder."

"Shippo, when you say a demon matter what do you mean?" Kagome asked quietly, "Is there an underground or something?"

"Yeah," Shippo responded with a shaky sigh, "All demons live on the outskirts of Osaka except a select few. They provide documents, cloaking devices and stuff like that to help us better assimilate. For example, I actually volunteered to pose for your documents, Inuyasha. Those documents are bonafide Japanese paperwork."

"Well one mystery down," Inuyasha chuckled humorlessly as he gave the fox an affectionate smirk, "So when was the last time you saw your son?"

"Three hours ago," Shippo groaned as he once again buried his face in his hands, "I followed the scent as far as I could go but I lost it on the highway. That's when I came here."

"So you've been watching us?" Kagome sighed as she gave Inuyasha a worried smile, "Neither of us noticed. How can that be?"

"Well you aren't the only miko to get caught up in the demon world," Shippo offered kindly - the worry lines never leaving his face, "About a century after you guys left, Miroku and Sango's spiritually inclined descendants actually got together to create a way to hide demonic features and energies. I was the guinea pig, of course - still hanging around to watch over them all but their work allowed all demon-kind who were smart enough to fit into human society to just fade into myth. There's still issues with documentation and gang violence among certain groups but overall everything goes by smoothly."

"Was your son hidden when he was taken?" Inuyasha asked suddenly - his heart falling into his gut when Shippo shook his head morosely, "No. We live in a private demonic community where we don't have to hide. That's what makes me so terrible. A _human's_ scent in my neighborhood and I didn't even bat an eyelash or worry about my son being discovered. There are some humans that live there but it wasn't familiar and I...I..."

"There's no use worrying about that now," Kagome soothed, "I'll wait here for Sango and you two go out there and find that boy."

"Agreed," Inuyasha huffed even as he gave Kagome an anxious look, "Don't open the door for anyone you don't know. Don't go shopping. Don't pick up the mail. _Nothing_. Okay?"

"Okay," Kagome nodded once as she walked up to him and gave him a lingering kiss, "You be safe too."

For a moment there was a pleasant silence in which Shippo looked between the two before him, "Despite this hot mess we've found ourselves in, I am glad you two were able to find each other again. I was worried for a really long time that it never happened and it was just wishful thinking. Now come on, we need to find my son."


	11. Back to the Future Chp 11

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 **Back to the Future**

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Their initial hunch about the building being abandoned was correct but the purpose for which it was created was different than they'd first assumed. This building that was once a beacon of its age - a remant of the train that used to run from Osaka to Fukuchiyama - now it more resembled something that had been through a war. Nothing so dramatic has befallen it of course - just the passage of time. Now the only comers and goers at first glance were the pigeons fluttering in the rooms and nesting by the windows, and spiders building door hinges are all rusted and the glass windows are all shattered. Water dripped rhythmically from the roof from some unknown source - accentuated by the steady echoing footsteps from the two officers below, generating a eerie melancholic melody as the building was surveyed. Kneeling down, Chiyo rested her hand on the aging concrete and began to study it like the random hair-line cracks were giving her some clue as to the whereabouts of this fugitive. As her eyes flickered over it, she spoke in a low, tense voice, "Someone's been here recently. You see up ahead where there's a line in the dust like somethings been drug through here? I bet you anything it was him."

"How much _do_ you pay that informant of yours?" Kosei asked quietly as he too knelt down and began to glance over the dust covered flooring, "It always seems a little too convenient that his tips always pay off."

"He's been my friend since we were kids," Chiyo answered a little heatedly, "How I pay him isn't your business."

"Well now, that's an interesting way to phrase things," Kosei chuckled as he rose to his feet and slowly drew his weapon while Chiyo did the same, "What kinda arrangement have _you_ got going on?"

Setting her jaw, Chiyo gave her partner a side-eyed withering glare before slowly approaching the door where the line in the dust ended. The shabby, chalky paint was peeling quit heavily but it was the shiny new iron bolt that drew her attention.

"Well whomever has been here was certainly trying to keep someone in," the woman whispered quietly as she slowly reached out to pull the bolt before pausing and looking up at her partner, "You stay here and call for backup. We need a search team and maybe an EMT."

"Like _hell_ you're going in there alone!" Kosei hissed back a little louder than he intended as a few disturbed pigeons took flight. Starting again much quieter he continued to hiss angrily at the determined woman before him, "I mean, that's _insane_. This guy - _if_ that's who hiding in there - has already killed _one_ woman that we know of and probably more. Do you have a death wish?!"

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," Chiyo clipped, "Besides, we have a duty to see whether our missing victim is inside. Protect and serve."

"You can't protect and serve if he manages to trap you in there," Kosei protested as he reached out and gently gripped her wrist, "Don't do anything stupid."

"Don't plan on it," the woman reassured him as she gently pried his fingers from her wrist, "First sign of trouble and I'll call out alright?"

Taking a steadying breath, Chiyo held her gun at the ready as she slowly made her way inside the dark corridor. Shadows that the slightly opened door cast the walls a slightly darker shade of grey and the air that should be dank was still fresh as though it had been aired out for some time. There were no doors separating the rooms in the long hallway although there had been some at one point or another - the frames holding evidence of rusted out hinges and decades of doors swinging open etched on the cement floor. Surprisingly most of the furniture in this part of the warehouse had survived with minimal damage, only the dust, a few scratches and chips to their name. It was one of those surviving pieces - however - that caught her attention or rather the small, thick pool of a crimson liquid at the base that set her hair on end.

"Oh god," Chiyo whispered breathlessly as she followed the heavy trail from the chair towards a closed door behind it. If - and at this point that was a big if - the poor man survived whatever torment he'd been forced to endure, he was going to need immediate medical attention. Slowly, carefully avoiding the steady trail, Chiyo held her breath as she reached out a single shaky hand to undo the deadlock and as the door opened, she quickly jumped back with her gun at the ready.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"And Koga and his tribe have moved to Wyoming in the United States since it's mostly wide open spaces," Shippo sighed anxiously - clearly trying to distract himself while simultaneously killing two birds with one stone by catching Inuyasha up on what had become of everyone - as he drove at top speed down the highway towards where he lost the man's scent. After a moment's silence, Shippo groaned and gave a humiliated looking Inuyasha a sympathetic grin, "I'll show you on a map when this is all said and done, alright? Don't feel bad for not knowing this stuff. You're doing really well actually. Love the haircut."

"Thanks," Inuyasha muttered quietly as he rapped his claws anxiously against the hand rest, "So, uh, what do you do in this era?"

"Believe it or not, I'm a teacher," Shippo sighed shakily before turning to give Inuyasha a mischievous look, "Funny thing is that I was one of Kagome's teachers during the quest for the jewel shards. I was _shocked_ she managed to get an accounting degree. Shocked I tell you. You know I love her like my own mother but damn, I've never seen someone who was worse at math in my entire life and it's been a _long_ life."

"Well I don't even really understand what an accountant does so I bet I'd be worse," Inuyasha laughed humorlessly as he stared out of the window, "I don't understand how anything works here."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Shippo soothed as he pulled off at a seemingly random exit, "What you did? That's hard. _Really_ hard _and_ brave. You've got nothing to be ashamed of and once this is over, I'd be more than willing to help you get your high school diploma and anything else you want education wise. There'll be time..."

The fox trailed off and paled visibly as he pulled into a truck stop and put his car in park, "This is where I lost their scent. I was hoping since, uh, your nose is better that'd you'd be able to find something I wasn't."

Nodding in understanding, Inuyasha cleared his throat before giving Shippo another embarrassed look, "Do you have something with your son's scent on it?"

"Yeah," Shippo laughed humorlessly as he pulled a small stuffed cat from the backseat and stared at it with tears welling in the corner of his eyes, "This...this was...no, is his favorite. He takes it everywhere with him."

"We'll find him, Shippo," Inuyasha offered as he quickly took a sniff of the small animal, "I promise. Don't worry."

Despite those words of comfort, fear travelled in Shippo's veins but never made it to his taut facial muscles or skin. Although his complexion remained pale and slightly green, his emerald eyes were as steady as if he merely window shopping as he glanced around the small gas station parking lot.


	12. Back to the Future Chp 12

**A/N: Warning: Graphic Content Ahead. I will Indicate with stars/italiacs for beginning to end for those who wish to skip.**

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It amazed her that the man before her still had blood enough to flow from his wounds. Every second or so a sluggish ooze would push a fair bit of blood from the almost dismembered wrist as he lay on his side unnaturally as though he was dumped there like a piece of garbage. His face was pale, lips blue and his chest was barely moving at all.

" _ **KOSEI! CALL FOR AN AMUBLANCE**_!" Chiyo screamed as she rushed to kneel down beside the poor broken looking man and pressed two trembling fingers against his neck - sighing in relief when she felt a faint pulse, "Stay with me, alright? Stay with me."

As the officer looked about the room, her eyes suddenly landed on an envelope sitting neatly atop a chair with a small ribbon attached to it. No. There was no way that this monster would've left a note, would he? Gently rising to her feet, Chiyo let out a shaky breath before shaking her head and kneeling down once more. Whatever was in that note would be discovered soon enough. Right now, her priority was saving this man.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Wringing her hands, Kagome watched the strange police officer rifling through the photographs and drawers of her small apartment - continuously citing that her boyfriend had, in fact, authorized them to do a search to rule him out as a suspect and that he was here as a favor to the slayer's reincarnation while she searched for the missing heir. It seemed so unlikely that anyone not intimately involved would've known such facts she had let him in but as time passed on, she found herself feeling more and more wary of the strange man who seemed intent on not looking her directly in the face. After what seemed like hours, the man stopped in front of the picture she had taken so many years ago and frowned.

"Who are these individuals?" the officer asked quietly as he scratched at his beard and adjusted those sunglasses which he had never taken off, "One of them looks like our missing victim."

"Oh, that?" Kagome chuckled nervously as she moved to stand beside him and looked down at the photograph, "That's some of our friends from many years ago. We were really into, uh, cosplay. The man and woman have died since then. I'm afraid they won't be much help."

"What were their names?" the man asked slowly as he ran a gloved finger down the frame, "This might hold some clues."

"I think my boyfriend already gave you their names," Kagome began in a defeated tone - beating her brains to try to remember the false last name Inuyasha had given the reincarnated Sango, "But like I said they died and had no children."

"Their death is a fiction," the man chucked darkly as he held up the photograph into better light, "They look _exactly_ like I remember. I don't know why they hide their true identity from me when proof like this exists."

Sapphire eyes widened in horror as it finally clicked in her mind that this man was no police officer at all. Quickly turning to rush out of the door, Kagome barely managed to make it a few steps before she felt a sharp needle being plunged into her neck.

"Don't worry little miko," the man chuckled as he removed his disguise and grinned down at her, "I won't play with you _too_ much. Just relax. You _might_ even enjoy it."

 _ ******** The evil looking man pushed his face closer - his breath rancid as he gently pressed his lips against hers. Despite still having some use over her body, Kagome felt paralyzed in a totally different sort of way. She felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Tension grew in her face and limbs, her mind replaying the last few moments over and over on repeat - trying desperately to make sense of what was happening as her breathing became more rapid, more shallow. Panicked thoughts accelerated inside her head, and she began to beg for them to slow so she can breathe but those nasty little thoughts drowned out her request. As his rancid lips continued to coax her into responding, her breathing began to come in gasps and it took all of her strength not to black out as her heart hammered inside her chest like it belongs to a rabbit running for its skin. It was becoming clear that her body was failing her as the strength bled from her legs causing her to sink to the ground and the effort of sitting upright seemed insurmountable. Darkness flooded the corners of her mind as whatever he'd injected her with began to take effect even though her mind was still horrifically aware of what was going on around her. _

_With a final, loving peck, the man pulled back and removing his gloves, his blood stained hands finally out for all to see as he moved to tighten those fingers around her neck and squeezed - relishing in her involuntary choke as her hands twitched desperately trying to find it in themselves to fight back. Tenderly , lovingly those same fingers released her before moving gently beneath her shirt - caressing every curve of her flesh in a disgusting display that left no doubt in the miko's mind as to where this encounter was heading. Ripping open the thin, revealing shirt, the man who was once their arch nemesis groaned in approval as his hand moved lower still - gently slipping inside her bra and massing the flesh gently as he leaned over to gently kiss her lips once move before removing his hand to gently brush over her toned stomach and slipping dangerously beneath the fold of her skirt - his lips journeying up her jaw until he took her ear lobe gently in his teeth._

 _"Do you know how long I've waited for this Kikyo?" he crooned in her ear as his free hand began fiddling with the zipper of his pants, "To see you truly terrified? To be at my mercy and no others? To be mine?"_

 _Grimacing, tears welled in the corner of Kagome's eyes as her legs began twitching in a panicked manner as his finger gently moved ever closer to his prize - whatever he'd injected her with failing to override the adrenaline coursing through her veins yet still being powerful enough to leave her paralyzed for the most part. With a shaky sigh, the man recaptured her lips as his fingers dipped into their target - the hand playing with his zipper finally managing to let himself free - at the same time the front door swung open with a mighty crash **.******_

In that frozen second between stand off and fighting Kagome saw the newcomer's emerald eyes flick from her to the assailant. Her emerald eyes were a flurry of emotion - anger, desperation and fear. Chuckling low, the man made a movement missed entirely by his pray - only made noticeable by a sudden gush of pain jolting throughout her body. Her stomach ached, her arms lost any remaining tension and her consciousness waned as a thick copious liquid began gushing sluggishly from her body. With a high-pitched scream of rage, the red haired woman rushed forward and slammed her hand with all her might against the attacker's throat before hoisting him high into the air, "How _dare_ you?! First you steal my son and then you attack this poor girl. What type of evil bastard _are_ you?!"

Choking slightly as he laughed, the man merely grinned down at the woman with a manic look in his eye before reaching into his coat pocket and slapping something down on the woman's hand. Screaming and releasing him as the small piece of paper burned her flesh, the man quickly hoisted up his pants and rushed from the small apartment without so much as a look behind him. The strange looking woman fell to her knees beside the paralyzed miko - tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she gently picked up the miko's bloodied hand and maneuvered the fingers to grip and remove the small sutra.

"I'm...sorry...I...didn't...get...here...sooner," the red haired woman sobbed as she looked down at the half-clothed and bleeding miko, "I... checked... his... car... first... instead of... coming here... I... I thought..."

Kagome gasped once for air before devolving into full blown sobs herself as she lay on the floor unable to cover herself. As the woman choked back sobs of her own, she tenderly picked up the traumatized miko and moved to the small bedroom where she quickly tucked her in.

"I'm...Anora..." the new woman sobbed quietly as the full magnitude and implications of what she had just interrupted slammed down on her like a ton of bricks, "I...I'm...or I was Shippo's wife. I should've...I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. Please forgive me."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"The trail goes towards that warehouse but then it circles back and goes onto the highway back towards the way we came," Inuyasha sighed as he ran his fingers through his short silver hair, "It doesn't make any sense. Why go this far out only to head back?"

"Could Miroku's reincarnation be held there?" Shippo asked as he anxiously chewed the inside of his cheek, "Maybe it's Naraku's home base. It is really far out of the way."

"Good thinking Shippo," Inuyasha acknowledged appreciatively as he headed back towards the car, "Well, let's go check it out."

The air inside was different - heavy and pungent. A mixture of blood, sweat, and some type of strange chemical smell that he couldn't put his finger on. Much like his reincarnated friend, Inuyasha knelt down to rest his hand on the aging concrete and studied it like the random hair-line cracks had meaning as he sniffed tentatively.

"Your son and that bastard were here maybe four or five hours ago now," Inuyasha sighed dejectedly before adding in a curious tone as he cocked his, "But...but those police officers and Miroku were last here only an hour or so ago."

"Is he alive?" Shippo asked breathlessly as he knelt down beside his old father figure - somehow taking comfort that he was on the case as though that truly meant everything was going to be alright, "Or...or bleeding? Or...is he...?"

"He's fine as far as his scent," Inuyasha reassured him with a sympathetic half-smile and got to his feet, "But we should probably head back to see what that officer has to..."

For some reason, every instinct Inuysha had suddenly went into overdrive when Shippo's phone ringing cut him off. The raging adrenaline coursing this his veins and the sinking pit in his stomach only grew as he listened helplessly to the voice on the other side and if there was ever a phone call that Shippo had ever wished never occurred, it was this one where Anora was sobbing into the phone about his hero's worst nightmare coming true.

Kagome had been hurt because he wasn't there to protect her.

"Inuyasha, I..." Shippo began softly - trying to fight back tears of his own, "I never thought that..."

Shaking his head, a very green and horrified Inuyasha stormed back to the car as he sent a glare that would've put the fear of god in any man - strong or no - back at the former kit and hissed, "We're going back. _**Now**_."


	13. Back to the Future Chp 13

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"I'll be waiting here for her. My deepest sympathies," Chiyo responded shakily as she fought back tears and she closed her phone as she looked into the small hospital room. She had _completely_ forgotten about the visit to the boy's home. What was more confusing than ever was how on earth that man had managed to know about that visit in the first place. It made absolutely no sense and that above everything else related to this case disturbed her. Only those in the precinct and that man who had given her permission in the first place had known of the visit. Could it be that this Inuyasha really was working with that psychopath? Shaking her head, Chiyo sighed and sank down into a nearby chair. No, the motive made no sense. Why would he want to harm his girlfriend in such a manner? No. No. There had to be some other explanation. She'd find it soon enough. It was a shame that their friend hadn't managed to apprehend the cold bastard who seemed to be as slippery as a snake. There had to be some type of...

"What happened now?" Kosei's gruff weary voice interrupted her thoughts as he handed her a cup of coffee, "What fresh hell has that bastard caused this time?"

"Our perp assaulted that man's girlfriend," Chiyo sighed as she shakily took the cup from him before adding in an accusatory tone, "You know, the guy _you_ think played a part in all this. Yeah, _his_ girlfriend was who that bastard cut up pretty good and drugged. He's quite upset and is demanding answers."

"Understandably so. Are they coming to this hospital? " Kosei sighed as he sat down beside her. The woman's long brown ponytail rocked in time with the bobbing of her head as she cleared her throat, "Yes. Then their friends will show us the apartment. Apparently in the time we've been here, their son has gone missing as well and they want to talk to me about it."

"How old is the child?" Kosei asked morosely as he took a sip of his coffee - grimacing when Chiyo held up five fingers in response, "So you want me to head over there with them and have you stand guard for this vic or..."

"No, they specifically requested that only _I_ come with them," Chiyo muttered miserably before whispering to herself as she sniffled lightly, "That girl could've been spared if I had just thought to send someone else, then..."

"What happened _exactly_?" Kosei interrupted quietly as he gave his shaking partner a concerned once over, "What does it have to do with you?"

"I was going to go over to check their apartment for clues," Chiyo sighed as she anxiously fiddled with her cup, "Rule him out officially, ya know? Well, apparently that bastard found out and went instead posing as an officer..."

"Maybe that apartment is bugged," Kosei interrupted suddenly as his eyes widened in understanding and sympathy, "That asshole _had_ to know she'd be alone _somehow_ and if that silver haired guy really wasn't aware of the danger that his supposed arch nemesis was back it might've been all too easy to pose as a electrician or something to set up some type of surveillance. That's not your fault. Not at all."

"I can't help but feel it is but...but you're _right_!" Chiyo breathed in a morbidly excited tone even as tears remained welled in the corner of her eyes, "If he did do that, we might be able to get a number or license plate or address or something if that guy was sloppy."

"Exactly," Kosei added in a similar upbeat tone before it turned somber, "God, we have such a strange job. Here we are excited for a potential lead when a girl has been murdered, a man mutilated and now a woman assaulted all by the same sick bastard."

"It's our job to stay strong and not let emotions get in the way. To protect those who cannot protect themselves," Chiyo agreed softly as she downed the last of her coffee, "And that's exactly what we're going to do. That guy's going down."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Looking around, the hallway had as much personality as the rest of the hospital. The floor was a slate grey and the walls a bland cream color. Above the ceiling was made from those polystyrene squares laid on a grid-like frame and the unnaturally light was too bright for his already sensitive amber eyes. It seemed like a prison but the décor was made by someone who didn't take risks so a strange part of him was grateful.

"When does she get out of surgery?" a familiar woman's voice suddenly asked from far too close for comfort. He hadn't even realized Sango...or Chiyo...had gotten so close. His heart panged in his chest as he turned watery amber eyes up to look at the woman who'd he grown quite close to in a past life - who was more like a sister than anything and who now didn't know him from Adam.

"In an hour or so," Inuyasha replied hoarsely as he averted his face in shame as he confessed quietly - his uncharacteristic admission a result of wishful thinking that perhaps just for a moment he could take comfort in talking this out with someone who he used to know, "I should've been there. She got hurt because I wasn't there."

"Don't be ridiculous," Chiyo soothed as she sat down next to him in the small waiting room, "This isn't your fault at all. If anything, the fault is mine. I should've called ahead and said I was going to be late or rescheduled but I didn't. Don't you dare feel like any of this is your fault."

Sighing shakily, Inuyasha gave the woman a pained half-smile before his amber eyes widened in horror when another familiar scent suddenly wafted down the hall.

"I _knew_ nothing but trouble would come from you being back in her life!" Kagome's grandfather's irate voice carried down the hall like an almighty thunder clap, "Now here she is _injured_ because _you_ couldn't even handle something like _that_!"

Mortification flooding Chiyo's face, she turned frantic eyes between the charging elderly man coming down the hall and the pale defeated looking man watching him like a man waiting for the axe to fall.

"I'm so sorry," Chiyo whispered anxiously to the silver haired man who had his jaw set so taut she could see every muscle jumping in it from the effort of holding back, "I thought...I was just...I called her employment for emergency contacts. They had her family listed and...and when she was injured I...I merely wanted to inform them."

"Don't apologize," Inuyasha muttered miserably as he took a deep sigh and stood to face the old man, "You didn't do anything wrong."

" _You_! This is the _last_ straw," Kagome grandfather hissed acidly as he jabbed his finger into the young man's chest, "This is _all_ your fault. None of this would've happened if you hadn't come back."

"Sir, that isn't true," Chiyo interrupted as she purposely moved to stand between the hanyou and the old man, "The culprit is mentally ill and Inuyasha has done everything in his power to cooperate with our investigation. You have no right to talk to him like that."

Giving the interfering woman a once over, the elderly man's eyes widened in surprise before they flickered back to the hanyou.

"Is this her?" Gramps asked calmly, his brow slightly furrowed at the sight of the familiar yet confused looking face, "Does she know?"

Shaking his head, Inuyasha cleared his throat before answering in a stoic tone, "Naraku is back somehow. This woman is helping track him down. If you want to join me for some tea, I'll gladly explain all that has happened. Is Kagome's mother and brother here or just you?"

"They're discussing her prognosis with the doctor," Gramps responded in a much more even tone, "Lead the way. I'll hear you out."

Chiyo's heart sank as she watched the two go towards the small cafeteria. There seemed to be some discord between the victim's family and the strange boy with a target on his back. He seemed nice enough yet the grandfather's reaction was very bizarre. Obviously for some reason or another their union was not a blessed one and she'd unknowingly thrown another kink into the works.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

The cafeteria was a cacophony of varying types of chatter - morose whispers for those in danger, joyful boasting for those waiting for new life to be brought into the world - while Men, women and children lined up across the back-wall with brown Formica trays in their hands. Some chatted amongst themselves as they waited while others leaned on the generic wallpaper as they shuffled along in line. Small tables littered the remaining space not occupied by the various manners of receiving bulk priced food and at one of those tables in the far corner, sat the silver haired man and the elderly priest.

"And so it's his reincarnation best I can figure," Inuyasha finished - his tone unnaturally even, his face devoid of all emotion as he stared down into his untouched tea before sighing heavily and looking up to meet the old man's gaze, "I guess the truth of the matter is that you were right. I'm _not_ worthy of her. I've allowed her to get injured way worse than _ever_ before. I _can't_ provide for her. My paper's are _fake_ and I don't understand how _anything_ works here. And so, I hope it'll give you _some_ comfort to know that once I defeat that bastard, I'll head back to my era and if that doesn't work, I'll go somewhere far, _far_ away so Kagome can live in peace."

For a few tense moments,Gramps furrowed his brow as he gave the broken looking man a calculating look before sighing himself, "No. No, that _won't_ do."

"I don't understand," Inuyasha responded with a weary sigh as he sagged visibly, "What _won't_ do? Do you want me to leave her _now_? I _can't_ do that. Not until I know she's safe. I won't..."

"You're _not_ going to leave her at all," Gramps responded definitively as he narrowed his eyes at the surprised looking man whose brows shot straight into his silvery bangs, "That is what won't do."

"What about the fact that I have failed her in almost _every_ way has changed your mind?" Inuyasha asked skeptically - a spark of hope flashing in his otherwise sad amber eyes as he watched the elderly man almost desperately, wanting more than anything something to prove that his assessment of the situation was wrong.

"You have not failed her in _any_ way," Gramps sighed heavily as he gave the young incredulous looking man a once over, "In fact, it seems you have been putting in quite the effort to make things work and these goings on were as much a product of fate as her falling down the well all those years ago. You coming back was as much fate as the rest of this mess."

"I don't understand. You were so against me before," Inuyasha said slowly with confused and hurt looking eyes, "I mean, I let her get attacked and I know _I'll_ never forgive myself so how can _you_ , especially after everything?"

"I am sure if you were able to see the future, you would not have allowed any harm to befall her so don't disgrace yourself by phrasing it like that. You didn't _let_ anything happen," the old man sighed sympathetically as he nodded knowingly, "I was harsh. Too harsh. To both you and her. I made many, _many_ mistakes. You gave up _everything_ you ever knew to be with her and despite it being difficult, you never gave up trying just as she never gave up hope you'd return. I will _not_ allow you to give up now just because some psychopath is trying to make an already hard transition that much more difficult."

"He almost raped her," Inuyasha whispered quietly in a defeated tone as he averted his eyes and stared down at his tea as his face crumpled in defeat, "If it wasn't for Shippo's wife then..."

"If I know my granddaughter, she will recover with surprising grace but she _will_ need you by her side," Gramps sighed as he gave the boy an apologetic grimace, "I was wrong to blame you for any of this, to try to force you apart. It was wrong of me. So listen to me now. If you defeat this man, protect my granddaughter and love her more than even yourself then I will say you are worthy and give you my blessing."

Giving the grandfather a tentative smile, Inuyasha nodded once in agreement to those terms before releasing a shuddering sigh and finally taking a sip of the now very cold tea.


	14. Back to the Future Chp 14

**XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _"Congratulations of making it this far dearest Sango. I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to find your beloved. By now you must know that I have learned your secret. That you and your pathetic friends killed me. Well now it's my turn to make you all suffer. Oh, how the sounds of the monk's screams made me blood sing. How does it feel to know that your deepest love is on the brink of death? I hope it brings you endless pain. Speaking of which, I have taken the small fox kit of which your pathetic group was so fond. His existence means little to me so I have no qualms about dispatching him. However, I will not hurt him if you give me what I want and what I want is the half-demon Inuyasha. Bring him to me at the place where it all began and I will return this pathetic child. You have 72 hours."_

"What the literal _fuck_ is this supposed to mean?" Kosei huffed angrily as he glanced over the letter once more before handing it over to his police chief, "This makes absolutely no sense. This gives us _no_ information other than the man is _completely_ insane! Who the _hell_ is Sango? Why did he kidnap an animal and think that that Inuyasha guy would turn himself over to save it? Just...just what the _fuck_?!"

"Interview them all again," the middle aged man sighed as he leaned back in his chair and gestured helplessly at the small piece or parchment, "See if you can find out more information or pictures or anything that'll give us a lead. Take someone _other_ than Chiyo. She seems to have too much a personal connection to this case. We can't risk _anyone_ getting too emotional. You _know_ how women can be. I still think that Inuyasha fellow is probably pulling all the strings and she's soft on him."

"Sir, I disagree," Kosei responded sternly - trying to quell the anger he felt at having such a fine officer belittled for her gender, "He has had an alibi for each attack and you didn't see him earlier. He was _devastated_ that his girlfriend had gotten attacked. Now I _don't_ think he's telling us the whole story. I think he's trying to protect someone but I don't think he's the one pulling the strings."

"You're inexperienced and not being rational. All this began the moment he came into the picture. _He's_ the tie that binds," the police chief clipped dismissively, "For the next 72 hours, I want him under 24 hour watch. I want to know where he eats, sleeps, I want his phone bugged, the works. I want to know his angle. What is he getting out of these attacks?"

"Sir, I think you're _wrong_ ," Kosei protested weakly before sighing heavily, "But I'll set it all up if those are your orders."

"They are," the chief answered solemnly as he tossed the case file across his desk, "Now get to it."

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

The first thing that registered in Kagome's chaotic mind was a calloused, clawed hand gently running through her hair with intermittent soft sighs of worry and the occasional gentle pressure of lips against her temple. It wasn't for lack of trying that her eyes remained closed. She wanted to open them. To reassure herself that it was - in fact - Inuyasha bathing her in such tender affection after the nightmare she'd been forced to endure.

It would seem that she'd made it to a hospital. The soft echoing beep slow and steady of the heart monitor like a truck backing up from a fair distance away. The general smell of chemicals intended to prevent the smell of disease wafting into her nostrils. The odd stretching feeling of an IV in the crook of her elbow.

" _I'm sorry_ ," Inuyasha would mutter miserably every so often as his lips pressed against her temple, " _I'm so sorry_."

It was a funny thing what five years could do to a person. He was so much more open and willing to show his affection - more willing to apologize even when he had no real reason to do so, sharing almost every little thought with such willingness and ease like never before. Thinking back to when the beads first broke, she remembered how angry and cruel he'd been. Even after they'd reconciled, he'd never been truly open with her. At least not like he was now. In the past several weeks, he'd admitted his fears, his shortcomings, his desires...he'd talked to her about _everything_. He was so very different and yet the same man she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Apparently five years could do a great deal, especially when heartbreak was involved.

Time lost all meaning in the darkness of her mind. It could've been several minutes, several hours or several days. Her heart broke when she heard his involuntary intake of breath after they explained that there were times coma patients never woke up and if they did, their memories would sometimes be impacted. He'd been very affectionate after that and on a mission to go over every second of their journey together as though that action alone would force her to remember him when she woke up - from the arrow being pulled from his chest to the beads breaking to the day she was taken from him. From what she could tell he never once left her side.

At some point, her mind registered that his body was laying out next to hers - his hand gently moving around her middle as he tried to mold his body against hers in the cramped confines of the hospital bed, sharing his body heat as much as he'd been trying to share his heart with her these past moments of unconsciousness. Smiling softly at the feel of his chest rising and falling against her back, she purposefully focused her energy on making their breaths in unison - trying to find a subtle way to let him know she was aware of his presence...and it worked.

"Kagome?" he whispered softly in disbelief - his breath tickling her ear, "Can you...are you awake?"

Try as she might, Kagome couldn't make herself respond past a gentle fluttering of eye lids and an increase tempo of the heart monitor.

"You _can_ hear me can't you?" he breathed in relief as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and held her as tightly as he dared, "I'm so sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry. Nothing like this will _ever_ happen again. I'm _never_ leaving you alone. _Never_."

A soft breath sigh of exasperation made its way past her lips - much to her chagrin and his relief. Chuckling darkly - an almost desperate sound marred by the choked sound of holding back a sob - Inuyasha apologized once more before pressing a gentle kiss at the nape of her neck.

"Your family is here," he admitted quietly to the comatose woman in his arms- deciding to act like she was awake despite all evidence to the contrary and wanting desperately to change the subject away from the fact that she _hadn't_ opened her eyes officially, "Well, not here right _now_ but...they're at your apartment. Your grandfather and I had a talk and I think...I think he's okay with us being together so maybe give him a chance, alright? He loves you and I don't want to come between you two."

Five years was indeed a strange period of time. Where did that gruff, rude and obnoxious man go in those few years? Was it because he was so desperate to make this work or was it truly that the separation had changed him? A small piece of her mind too couldn't help but notice how the case for her grandfather was made. He finished with the fact that her grandfather loved her. Maybe he just didn't have it in him to stay mad at anyone who he knew loved her. Only time would tell.

 **XXXXXXXX**

It was strange. Very strange. _So_ strange. He could've _sworn_ this was _not_ where he fell asleep. In fact, this was the most bizarre lodging he ever had managed to procure in the entirety of his life. He'd never seen this type of architecture in all his life and the furnishings were incredibly bizarre. Some of the items that were attached to him looked somewhat familiar - Lady Kagome had brought some such things with her all those years ago but the majority of the tiny beeping or blinking items were foreign to him. His hand seemed to have undergone some major trauma and his skin seemed rather more taut than it had been the day before but he attributed that fact to a trick of the unnatural light in this bizarre place.

"Hello?" the ebony haired man who was last aware of himself over five hundred years ago called out into the strangely pristine room, "Is anyone there?"


	15. Back to the Future Chp 15

**XXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Hello?" the man formerly known as Miroku called out as he used his good hand to remove the strangely coarse blanket and placed his bare feet on the laminate flooring, "Is anyone there?"

Looking down at himself, the ebony haired man blanched. These weren't his clothes - if you could even _call_ them that. The small smock seemingly covered _nothing_ as his eyes darted anxiously around for his robes which were nowhere to be found.

"I'm missing my clothes," he called out softly as he continued to look around and open various drawers filled with strange implements before he muttered quietly to himself, " _This must be Kagome's era_..."

Turning around,it was then that he passed by a mirror and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. Taking his good hand, he ran his fingers gently over the smooth lines of his face; the dark, rich color of his hair; the general look of youth that he knew he'd been missing these past several decades.

 _No_.

" _This can't be_!?" he cried out quietly in a desperate tone of voice - his state of relative undress forgotten as he backed away like a scared rabbit from the bizarre reflection, "Kagome?! Sango?! _Anyone_?!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Groaning slightly, Inuyasha blinked sluggishly into the dark hospital room as his ears twitched madly beneath the soft beanie - the appendages picking up a familiar voice calling out for explanations and the sounds of alarmed nurses calling out for doctors. Gently and skillfully removing his arm from beneath Kagome's head, Inuyasha fluidly sat up and made his way towards the door - his mind still trying to catch up from the realm of dreams when the familiar voice spoke out again in a near hysterical tone

"No, no. I promise I mean you all _no_ harm," Miroku's panicked voice sounded out from a few rooms away, "I _merely_ want to speak to a woman named Kagome Higuarshi if she's available . There is something strange happening here and I'd like to clarify things with her. My mind is quite clear. I just...please stop I must confer with her. Let me go!"

" _Oh shit,_ " Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he quickly opened the door and sped towards the source of the ruckus - a traitorous piece of himself beyond thrilled that he might get to speak with his old friend again while another piece telling him it was a fallacy.

"Miroku?" he called out over the din, "Is that you?"

"Inuyasha?! Thank Buddha!" came the exasperated reply before another line was added with increased desperation as the nurses continued to attempt to corner him, "How on earth did I get here?"

"You were attacked," Inuyasha vaguely vaguely he pressed his way to the front of the crowd of nurses and technicians, "Kagome's in the other room but I'll try to answer as much as I can but I think they want you to stay in the room."

"Oh, of course," Miroku whispered as he chuckled nervously - recognizing the look in Inuyasha's eye that he clearly needed to play along as he bowed slightly to the medical staff, "My deepest apologies. I'll, uh, just go back now."

As the nurses exchanged nervous looks, Inuyasha quickly maneuvered himself into the room and shut the door behind him before rushing forward to give his old friend a bone crushing hug.

"I never thought I'd ever get to see you again," Inuyasha breathed happily, "I've missed you so much."

Patting his friend awkwardly on the back, Miroku sighed as the hanyou released him before glancing around the strange room, "So this is the future, is it?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded as he gave his friend an understanding smile before it faltered and he furrowed his brow, "Sango is here too but...but she won't remember you. Something _must_ be happening though if you remember now. I mean, Naraku's reincarnation remembers some of the things that happened but unlike you, he seems to also understand how this world works and is using them to his advantage. He's kidnapped you and Shippo's son and attacked Kagome. Do you remember _anything_ from before now?"

Shaking his head morosely, Miroku sighed heavily before plopping down on the small hospital bed, "I was old. _Very_ old last I remember. I was tired and went down for a nap. I guess that must've been the day I died. It was some fifty years after you left."

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha muttered apologetically as he sat down beside him, "I should've explained beforehand but I just...I didn't want to risk everything by coming back to explain."

"Oh we _all_ knew where you went," Miroku soothed as he patted his friend on the back, "We were happy for you but that doesn't mean we didn't miss you both terribly."

Pausing for a moment, Miroku sighed as he ran his hand through his short ebony locks, "This is quite a mess. Who was I in this life? Did we know each other?"

"Well I was _going_ to work for you as a security guard. You had just hired me when...when this happened, "Inuyasha explained, "You're an heir to some type of empire. Naraku kidnapped you befor I could..."

"Naraku is here?" Miroku breathed anxiously as he stared down at his bandaged hand, "Is that why my hand is covered? Has the wind tunnel returned?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," Inuyasha reassured him, "Although that sick bastard did a hell of a job mutilating you."

"Is it truly him?" Miroku whispered anxiously as he raised his eyes to meet his friend's gaze, "Or is it merely a reincarnation much like myself?"

"A reincarnation best I can figure," Inuyasha sighed heavily, "But he's doing justice to his past life by making our lives as miserable as he can."

Sighing, Miroku collapsed into a nearby chair and rubbed his hand over his face in an agitated manner, "Why do you suppose this is happening? Why are we regaining our memories?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha responded honestly as he gave his friend a half-grin, "But I'm very glad you're here now although I'm not happy about the circumstances. Oh, apparently you're still as much as a flirt in this life as you were before you met Sango. That should make you happy. You must've been having a good time."

"Perhaps so," Miroku chuckled good naturedly as he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, " but I lived a long time with Sango by my side. The idea of flitting from woman to woman doesn't have the appeal it once did - I don't plan on continuing that behavior now that I'm...uh, myself ... whether she remembers me or not."

Giving his friend a warm grin, Inuyasha's ears twitched towards the door and he rolled his eyes, "They're discussing sedating you for this outburst. They'll probably want to interrogate you again as well."

"About this attack?" Miroku mused as he lifted his injured hand to inspect it before sending his friend a concerned look, "Or about how I know you?"

Inuyasha paused for a moment as his grin faltered slightly, "They think I'm somehow involved in all this which I am but not like they think obviously. "

"Indeed," Miroku chuckled darkly as he rested his injured arm into his lap, "This is quite complicated."

"Yeah," Inuyasha snorted before giving his friend an affectionately smirk, "I'm glad we're not going it alone anymore though. It's good to have you back."

"Same goes for you, my friend," Miroku responded sincerely although his face betrayed his surprise that such a thing actually left his friends mouth as he reached out and gave his friend a light hug - recognizing that the sentiment was a rare thing to be cherish, "I will gladly fight by your side once more. I would love nothing more."

Nodding, Inuyasha clapped his friend once on the back before releasing him and moving to open the door as he gave his old friend a wistful smile, "I'll come by to check on you tomorrow morning."

"I look forward to it," Miroku responded with a soft nod before he stood and looked out onto the cityscape with a strange look in his eye as the hanyou closed the door behind him. With a short laugh he looked out onto the sprawling cityscape before shaking his head. This was most unexpected.


	16. Back to the Future Chp 16

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Shaking the small almost empty bottle, the man rolled his chocolate eyes before turning his attention back to the small child on the train seat next to him. The tiny thing had managed to burn him quite severally on multiple occasions as he tried to subdue him once more. Ether seemed to be doing the trick but the quantity he'd been forced to use was exceeding how much he'd brought with him. It was shocking to him that no one had recognized him - especially considering he was now carrying around a very strange looking child. Although his red hair was largely covered by the baggy hoody he'd dressed him in, it was more the strange tiny puff on his butt that should've been drawing everyone's attention yet it _hadn't_. It was almost as though he were the only one able to see it which _couldn't_ be possible.

The small child _wasn't_ the only strange thing he'd noticed recently. There were men, women and children of all shapes and sizes wandering around Osaka and even on this bullet train to Tokyo! Some had blue hair, others blue skin. It varied from person to person it seemed - if you could even call them that. It was utterly bizarre and only added to his general paranoia. They were watching. They had always been resourceful. Always managing to find others to join in their crusade against him. More memories were flooding back to him. It was a jewel. A jewel he had sought of some significant value. And...and a woman - the most beautiful woman in the world - that that blasted half-demon had managed to steal from him. Although he couldn't remember exactly how, he knew in his heart that bastard was going to pay for taking what was rightfully his. Or...what should've been? He'd been _so_ close to getting exactly what he wanted. So _very_ close. It was no matter though. He'd kill that insipid half-breed if it was the last thing he ever did. It all came back to him after all. He knew exactly what he'd done. Out of _all of them_ , that unnatural abomination was the one he hated most. Well they had sixty somewhat hours now to turn him in and he had no doubt in his mind they'd do it too.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered quietly in her ear as he slid out of the bed and effortlessly placed himself in a more appropriate position for when the nurse arrived. Swallowing thickly, his eyes darted towards the heart monitor that told him the same thing his ears were. At the mentioning of her name, the small line and insipid beeping sped up. She could hear him. She was just... _trapped_ somehow.

"Miroku remembered us last night," he whispered excitedly into her ear, "I didn't tell you last night because you needed your rest but I'm going to go check on him and see if he still knows me or whether it was just a fluke. I'll be right back, alright?"

Pressing his lips lightly to her temple, Inuyasha stretched slightly as the nurse came into the room and began checking the various implements for Kagome's status. It was difficult to see her like this. Truly it was and the thought that she might never open her eyes again still haunted his every waking hour. Still, he refused to dwell too long on such a depressing thought. She _was_ going to wake up. She _was_ going to be okay. For the moment, he just needed to check on Miroku.

As he casually made his way out of the room, he sighed as the scent of that police officer was still lingering in the area. He'd been quite close ever since they'd brought Kagome to this place that smelled of death and illness. It was either him or this other woman at all times posted right outside her door. When he'd asked originally, he'd been told it was for their protection but he wasn't quite so sure anymore. Whenever he asked for news, they'd changed the subject or avoided answering. It was clear they still had the gall to assume he was behind all this madness. Still, keeping his expression calm and collected, he nodded once to the officer coming up the hall before heading towards Miroku's room - ignoring the suspicious glance from the man who was slowly sipping his coffee, his eyes ever watching as Inuyasha knocked softly on the door before entering.

"Inuyasha, right?" the ebony haired man laughed jovially, "Fancy seeing you here! Man, I should've hired you one day earlier huh?"

Forcing a smile onto his face, Inuyasha nodded as his heart sank into his stomach and he chuckles nervously, "Guess you should've."

"Well, what brings you here?" Ryo asked with a happy laugh, "I mean, you still have a job I guess but I've got the cops all over me here so you're not really needed right now per se. They spent a whole hour with me this morning trying to figure out what happened. It was exhausting! So, I guess, consider this a paid vacation until I get outta here."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Inuyasha responded thickly - the forced grin becoming harder and harder to maintain, "Just wanted to check in ya. I'll, uh, see you later then."

"Sounds good," the man laughed - a slightly mournful in his eye that confused the hanyou to no end. Just as Inuyasha turned to leave - fighting back the tears that wanted to break free- he paused for a moment and sent the stranger a rueful smile before pushing open the door. He should've known it was too good to be true.

As the door shut behind him, the man's cheery facade fell and he deflated visibly as he sighed. The officers had been very pushy this morning and thankfully his new memories had resurfaced within the night. They blamed Inuyasha - every question plainly trying to make a connection or find a reason to blame him for everything. It hadn't taken long for the monk to realize the grave danger his friend was in and so he'd done what he needed to do to keep the hanyou at bay until it was time to reveal the truth.

"I'm so sorry, my friend," he whispered quietly to himself as he stared at the door with a mixture of longing and sorrow, "But I can't have them thinking you had _anything_ to do with this. They _can't_ think I knew you before. They're watching you as it is."

 **XXXXXXXX**

The dreams were becoming more frequent. A large bonfire with men and woman dancing. A strange twin-tailed cat the grew and shrunk down again on command. A large boomerang. A man's happy smile as he lay facing her - reaching over to gently brush a loose hair free from her face. Trying to piece them all together was utterly pointless and made her worry that she was losing her mind altogether. It seemed so real. All of it. The images were beginning to occupy her daydreams as well. It was just her imagination. All those faces, all those events playing out. It was just this case getting to her. They weren't real. Taking a deep breath, Chiyo raised her fist to rap lightly on the apartment door. This couple had insisted on having a second appointment to discuss their son for some unknown reason - not that she minded in the least. Yesterday - as it turned out - this small apartment held more bugs than she'd ever seen in her life. There were cameras, wire taps, and more besides. The only thing she could figure was that he'd come in ahead of time. They were located in more permanent areas - built in shelves, crown molding, underneath cabinets. It was unnerving really. What on earth was happening here?

As the door clicked open, the somber looking couple let her in before shutting the door behind them and ushering the young woman to the couch.

"There's something we didn't show you yesterday," the ebony haired man began slowly, "I didn't think it mattered but circumstances have changed."

"What's changed, Mr. Sato?" Chiyo asked curiously as she pulled out her pen, "Have you heard form the kidnapper?"

"No, nothing like that. Well, we, uh...well, someone else I believed was lost recently came back to us," the man said slowly, "And I wanted to get your take on it."

"What's that?" Chiyo asked suspiciously as she wearily eyed the couple - regretting the decision to come here with each passing second. Slowly, the wife stood and went to the bedroom before coming back out holding a large object that seemed to be plucked straight from her dreams - its ivory curves and ancient looking leather straps bearing the signs of age but otherwise just the same.

There were several tense moments in which the woman merely stared dumbfounded at the large boomerang that seemed so familiar - alsmost as though it were a lost arm she'd never known was missing - before her face suddenly cleared and her eyes grew wide in recognition. Blinking sluggishly as though truly seeing the man in front of her for the first time, Chiyo gaped at him as his hair slowly faded to red before her very eyes. Finally, the man's true form was there in all its glory - his nine tails gently trembling anxiously as his emerald eyes searched her face in the hopes of seeing some sign of recognition...and he did.

" _Shippo."_

 **XXXXXXX**

They were watching, always watching, everywhere. On the train, at the station, in the bathroom, at the street kiosks. They saw him. They knew what he was doing. It wasn't safe. He needed to stay hidden - away from prying eyes. Thank goodness he'd met that woman. Those talismans she'd given him really had packed a punch.

That day was a blur. He'd just been walking home from work on a particularly beautiful day when the blaring neon sign of the small tarot shop had caught his attention. Psychics had never really been something he'd be interested in but with his wife out of town and the kids with his in laws it seemed like a night to do something out of the ordinary. Something fun that _didn't_ involve a bar. It'd been many years since he'd gotten over his love of the drink. An addiction he was extremely proud of overcoming. It was hard when his wife wasn't home and the kids were elsewhere to find something to occupy his time. His wife knew it was difficult so she usually kept her trips short but sometimes it was unavoidable...like when her flight got delayed due to the say...an unexepcted typhoon barreling towards them.

There had been something in that tea the woman had given him - he was sure of it. A parlor trick whose purpose is to make him believe her bullshit and blab all the things she'd need to hack all his personal information. She'd suggested past life regression therapy as a potential solution to his continued cravings that she "sensed." That little bit of hypnotism worked in a way - drinking no longer held any appeal for him - but it made him remember who he truly was and reminded him who needed to pay. Those talismans and sutras she'd provided him were no joke either of that red haired woman's reaction was any indicator. 'You'll need these' she'd said. No other explanation was given.

It was strange. He'd returned a few days later to confront her about the strange goings on and wouldn't you know it? Her shop has completely disappeared as though it never existed in the first place.


	17. Back to the Future Chp 17

**XXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"Shippo," Sango breathed happily as she immediately threw herself at the now fully grown kit before pulling back and giving him a once over, "Look how grown up you are! I can't believe it's really you."

Laughing softly, Shippo gave the former slayer an affectionate smile that slowly faded, "There isn't much time but...but I wanted to get your take on everything that's been happening. Not that you wouldn't...or Chiyo or...well, I wanted someone who knew the truth to take a step back and give their opinion."

"Yes, I see what you mean," Sango sighed awkwardly, "This whole situation was so confusing before now. From what I know, this man is just human but _something_ must have triggered his memories from his past life - just like Hirakostu has for me. The question is _what_. Perhaps if we can find the trigger then we might get some more answers."

"I'll check his old workplace and see whether I can sniff anything out," Shippo sighed heavily as he glanced at his wife, "See if you can get any leads. There's a skulk in Tokyo that might be amenable to helping out as well should he try to head towards the well."

"Let me talk to my partner while I still remember who I am...or used to be more like and see whether he's gotten any ransom demands," Sango mused as she pulled out her cell phone before she paused and gave the couple a hopeful look, "You said someone else came back. The only person remaining would be Miroku."

"He remembered who he was for a few hours last night," Shippo admitted before sighing heavily, "But this morning he didn't know any different. I'm sorry."

Releasing a shaky breath, Sango nodded in resigned acceptance before giving her old friend a watery smile, "He died years before I did, do you remember? Just passed away in his sleep one night. I wish I could've been there just to talk to him one more time."

"I know," Shippo sighed as he gave his friend an understanding look, "Maybe you should introduce yourself to him. Apparently this version's a playboy as well. You've tamed him once, you could do it again."

Laughing hoarsely, Sango nodded as she gave him a watery smile and pressed the call button. Almost immediately Kosei picked up - which surprised her - but what surprised her more was the news that she'd been taken off the case.

"Are you kidding me?" the slayer breathed incredulously into the phone - her face crumpled in hurt and disbelief, " _Why_?"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Inuyasha was fast losing his patience with the doctors who couldn't tell him more than her vitals were steady and that there was nothing more they could really do. There had been a few moments when he could almost see the red bleeding into the corners of his eyes and feel the jagged purple lines blooming on his cheeks before he managed to gain control of himself. _Nobody_ had the time, resources or consciousness in this era to talk him down in his full demon form and every time he'd asked for the sword to be returned to him he'd been shut down. What bothered him even more was the periods of time he was beginning to realize he was missing. Several times today, he'd woken up snuggled against Kagome in her hospital room barefoot and soiled without understanding how or why and it _terrified_ him. It was something akin to a mentally ill patient who'd skipped a few days of medication because they didn't need it anymore since they felt just fine. Just like those poor souls, the truth of the matter was that he needed that sword like they needed their medication. The only problem was the sword was much more difficult to acquire at the moment and with each passing second that Kagome remained unconscious, he felt his demon clawed closer to the surface screaming for blood.

It killed him inside but more than anything he wanted someone to talk to about his fears of losing control of his mind but with Shippo's son being kidnapped he didn't want to add to the fox's worries and Miroku was as lost to him as he ever was. The only chance he had left was to talk to Sango but if she was going to wake up - even for a moment - she would have already. No, this was something he was going to have to deal with on his own and hope for the best until he managed to get his hands on Tessaiga once more.

With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha sat down on the edge of Kagome's bed and anxiously ran his hand up and down her leg in a soothing motion.

"I wish you were awake," he admitted softly as he glanced down at her comatose form and shook his head morosely, "But that's not your fault. I just...I feel like I'm losing it, Kagome. I'm losing _time_. There's _hours_ where I can't remember what I've been doing. I need Tessaiga. I need you. I need someone who knows what the hell I'm going through and I can't ask Shippo when his son is missing. I can't..."

Releasing a shaky sigh, Inuyasha felt his throat grow tight and those traitorous tears threaten to fall, "Miroku remembered me for a few minutes but.., well... and Sango doesn't remember shit. Sometimes I wish you had brought Kikyo to this era for good. She would've known what to do. I'm just...I don't feel like myself. I'm...it's like I'm terrified _all_ the time. Terrified of doing the wrong thing. Terrified that I'm losing hours of time. Terrified of losing you. I have no fucking idea what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I'm a stranger. I feel like I'm failing and I have no idea how to make it right."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _'No idea how to make it right..._ '

As Kosei lowered the small camcorder and cast a worried glance at his former partner, he sighed, "This isn't great. It makes him sound insane."

Sango nodded morosely as she rewound the video a few seconds and watched it again - grimacing at the mentioning of her former name, "Thanks for showing me this. Is there anyway you can say the video didn't work or keep it from evidence for just a little longer?"

"Obstruct a police investigation?" Kosei gasped in mock offense as he clapped a sturdy hand against his chest in an falsely affronted manner, "My little rule following partner is asking me to do something underhanded? What is the world coming to?"

"Will you do it or not?" Sango sighed as she gave him an affectionate smirk when he nodded and waved his hand dismissively, "I just need to talk with him _without_ cameras on and I need this video to stay hidden until all this is sorted out."

"Fine, fine," Kosei muttered as he removed the small tape and placed it in his pocket before gasping in false horror, "Oh no! Look at that! The video is just gone!"

Snorting once, Sango punched him lightly in the shoulder as she rolled her eyes, "Stop being an ass. Give me an hour and see if you can scramble that tape."

"Can do," Kosei sighed, "Be careful with him. I think all this stress might be going to his head."

"You've got no idea," Sango muttered under her breath as she straightened out her causal dress and sweater, "Anyhow, shoo. I've got to go in with him knowing this isn't for the case."

" _Very_ convincing," Kosei snorted sarcastically and gave her a thumbs up, "The change of clothes really undoes the fact that you were investigating him and that you're a cop. Perfect disguise."

" _Whatever_ ," Sango snorted as she sent him a playful smirk, "Now go eat a donut or something and leave me be."

"A donut? _Seriously_?" Kosei teased as he turned to leave before pausing and glancing over his shoulder, "Be careful and be on guard. That lunatic could be anywhere."

 **XXXXXXX**

The silver haired beauty was the kind of girl that women loved to hate. She was an adult one might suppose, but she still had the exuberance of youth. She had that movie star look, not overly tall and willowy, but more like an action star. Her muscle definition was perfect and she walked with the confidence of someone several decades older. She wasn't just _flawless_ in her bone structure. Oh no. Her skin was like silk over glass and she radiated a healthy glow that no amount of beauty care regimen could ever hope to mimic.

It only made sense for a woman who'd sold her soul to demons in exchange for immortality and beauty to spend her days basking in the attention. It amazed even her when she opened her eyes nearly seventy years ago now to a thick, almost heavy haze and rubble all around her. The last thing she remembered was being blown to supposed simthereens by that disgusting half-breed Kikyo had fallen for. With a huff at the memory, Tsubaki's lips twitched upwards as she played idly with her tarot cards. In the end, the curse wasn't even worth it. All it had done was give Kikyo fuel to feed her revenge fire and give Naraku something to manipulate in order to gather her fighting a battle for him. She'd done it too - fool that she was - and she thought it killed her but, as it turned out, the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki did more than just obliterate a city. It gave her a new chance at life. Once immortal, always immortal sonit would seem. A few others had been reawakened by the blast but they'd been ' _taken care of_ ' quickly by the demon community but she'd flown under their radar. At least, until now. When she'd seen the reincarnation of that pathetic fool who'd played her, she knew payback was due...for all of them. Surely by now they all had reincarnated versions of themselves that'd be easy pray. All it would take was a little dark magic and poof, an insane lunatic would be hunting them down one by one. It was _so_ easy too. All she'd had to do was cast a spell to attract him into her illusion and he was putty in her hands.

The one thing she hadn't counted on was the way he was throwing around those talismans. He'd touched the monk with one to knock him out and then left it on him! And then the slayer had touched _him_ which meant soon she'd be awake as well. Not that it really was going to ever come back to her. All Tsubaki wanted was to watch the hot mess unfold from afar which she'd still get to do.

The only disappointing part so far was that the fool hadn't managed to kill anyone yet or kidnap the one she truly needed to restore her power to its former glory. She'd already gotten more involved in her impatience. That half-demon was doing a little too well - he just needed a little push, a little curse to bring his world toppling down. It was fun to watch him do her bidding around town. Nothing suspicious or malicious yet - just running errands to test whether he'd remember his excursions and to gain more of a foothold in his mind. The longer he remained unaware, the more power she'd hold over him. He'd walk straight into her trap and then the real fun would begin.


	18. Back to the Future Chp 18

**XXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXX**

 _"May all beings have happiness and its causes,_ _May they never have suffering nor its causes;_ _May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;_ _May they dwell in equal love for both near and far._

 _May all beings have happiness and its causes,_ _May they never have suffering nor its causes;_ _May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;_ _May they dwell in equal love for both near and far._

 _May all beings have happiness and its causes,_ _May they never have suffering nor its causes;_ _May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;_ _May they dwell in equal love for both near and far."_

It didn't matter how many times Inuyasha tried to run over the Buddhist prayer he'd heard the monk whisper to himself a million times, it didn't do anything to calm his frazzled nerves. A new officer had come to question him - _again_ \- and he'd been hard pressed to stifle a growl when the man had the nerve to insinuate that he'd left Kagome alone on purpose. _'Awfully convenient'_ he'd say. It had taken all his will power not to rip that man's heart out and he knew it was only a miracle that the man missed the way his eyes flashed red. Since then, he'd tried to meditate - something he'd never tried before but what the fuck else was he supposed to do - and it seemed only fitting to use the monk's old chants. They felt almost familiar and it was easy to imagine his old friend repeating those words over and over underneath the Sacred Tree.

" _May all beings have happiness and its causes,_ _May they never have suffering nor its causes;_ _May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;_ _May they dwell in equal love for both near and far."_

The scent of Sango's reincarnation coming down the hall only served to make his heart ache all the more. Sure, she'd believed him originally but he wasn't stupid. That partner of hers had come in late at night when he thought they'd been asleep and taken a small recording box out with him - making an impressive lack of noise but still enough to wake someone with his enhanced senses. There was no way she was coming to tell him good news. Probably she'd come to tell him he was going to jail now. _Hooray_.

Closing his eyes, he breathed slowly out of his nose - nostrils flaring slightly - just as the policewoman gently knocked on the door.

"Inuyasha?" came the slayer's worried tone, "Can I come in?"

"Need a warrant to take someone in against their will, right? Oh, and to _record_ people," Inuyasha asked tersely, "Kagome's grandfather apparently has a lot of free time on his hands to look up all the laws on illegally recording someone without probable cause."

"Well they _did_ get a warrant to record you," Sango sighed a little dejectedly, " _And_ they heard you earlier when you admitted you were having problems with your demon side taking control."

"Ah, so you've come to admit me to a mental hospital," Inuyasha clipped as he tried to relax as fully as possible still going over the monk's old chant in his mind as he tried to keep himself level, "I think you need the coroner for that _or_ so the old man says. I'd like to talk to a lawyer."

"If you want a lawyer, I'll talk to Kosei about getting one appointed to you," sensing the tension in the room was largely due to a misunderstanding that was easily cleared up, Sango sighed heavily before moving over to gently brush a stray hair from Kagome's face. The way his shoulder's tensed when she drew near and the small aggravated growl would've made her chuckle but instead, she sighed wearily and throw him a quick glance, "You know the last time I remember seeing her she was _so_ young. We all were."

Amber eyes flew open as he stared at the strange woman with a mixture of dread, nerves and hopeful optimism. Composing himself, Inuyasha cleared his throat as he repeated her hoarsely, "Last time you remember seeing her?"

"I couldn't believe she was gone," Sango continued softly, "Just ripped away from us so unfairly and then five years later you were ripped away from us too...until now."

"Sango?" Inuyasha breathed as his chest heaved anxiously, "Is this a trick or...or..."

"You need to be careful what you say," Sango soothed as she quickly came around the small bed and stood before the hopeful looking hanyou, "I managed to convince him to throw away the tape with you talking about your demon coming out and I hope you're relieved to know I _do_ remember - as you put it - shit."

In a blur of silver and black, Inuyasha rushed forward and embraced Sango tightly, "You remember."

"Yeah. Shippo triggered my past life with Hiraikotsu," Sango whispered back and she held onto her long lost friend, "I don't know how long I'll remember. Miroku I've heard only remembered his past life for a few hours."

"I need Tessaiga," Inuyasha admitted quietly as he pulled back and smiled down at his old friend - deciding to ignore her concerns and live in the moment , "I'm...I'm worried I'm losing my mind a little with it gone."

"I'll see what I can do," Sango comforted him, "But I probably can't do much. They've taken me off the case. They think I'm too involved."

"Well, they're not wrong," Inuyasha joshed lightly before he furrowed his brow and sighed, "So what does that mean?"

"It means I won't be in charge of the investigation any longer," Sango sighed as she sat down on the small hospital bed and patted her comatose friend's leg gently, "So I've taken a temporary leave of absence citing family matters and I'm going to do some investigating while I still remember who I used to be."

"Do you remember both lives?" Inuyasha asked quietly, "With Miroku it seemed like it was all or nothing and Naraku's memories seem to have driven his reincarnation completely insane."

"I remember both," Sango sighed as she scratched idly at her temple and gave Inuyasha a playful yet sad look, "I wish I could say the same for Miroku."

"Well, he is supposedly still a womanizer," Inuyasha sighed as he moved to sit next to her and gave her a rueful smile - wanting more than anything to talk about somewhat happier things if just for a few minutes, "I say go tame him. You did it once, you could do it again."

"That's what Shippo said," Sango laughed as she rolled her eyes and lazily rested her head on her old friend's shoulder, "I missed you both so much."

"I've missed you guys too but I guess I didn't have to wait quite so long," Inuyasha admitted as he rested his chest atop her mousy locks before he released a shaky sigh, "Can we have a word to use in case you still remember me in a few hours? Like...apple or something?"

"Apple? _Really_? _That's_ the best word you can come up with?" Sango laughed once as she pulled back and gave her friend a once over, "My, my how the modern era has tamed the wild hanyou. Here you are meditating and coming up with code words like _apple_. It's odd."

"Fine, make it "you got some complaint" then. Would that be more like me? And hey, give me a break. It was go all the way into a tame modern day gentleman or go home and I wasn't going to go back," Inuyasha admitted lamely as a faint blush bloomed on his cheeks, "I guess I can finally say I've gone soft."

"No, you haven't gone soft," Sango sighed as she gave him an understanding grin, "You're just afraid to be yourself. Maybe you need to do what the old Inuyasha would do and go after Naraku like the good old days."

"There are a lot of words I'd use to describe the search for the jewel shards but good isn't one of them," Inuyasha laughed humorlessly, "It was pretty fucking bad."

"But we all met each other," Sango pointed out, "And you found Kagome."

"Okay, besides that," Inuyasha snorted before sighing heavily, "So your advice is to go after Naraku, huh? As a police officer you don't think that'd look bad?"

"I think no matter what you do it'll look _bad_ ," Sango admitted, "If you stay here slowly descending into madness and go full demon as a result, that's bad. If you leave a comatose girlfriend and go on a civilian manhunt, it looks bad. If you end up having to kill Naraku again, it'll look _really_ bad. No matter what you do it's going to be bad."

"Thanks," Inuyasha muttered sarcastically as he stood and walked over to the broad glass window, " _Real_ help, Sango."

"You've said you've lost hours," Sango asked quietly - ignoring the jibe, "Any clue where you're going?"

"No," Inuyasha admitted as his shoulders sagged in defeat and he folded his arms tightly across his chest, "None. Your partner didn't have any information to tell you?"

"No," Sango sighed as she shook her head, "But maybe they'll have told something to Miroku...or Ryo, I guess. I'll go talk to him and see what I can find out."

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha whispered quietly as he reached out and pulled her in for a side hug, "I know it won't be easy to talk to him if he doesn't remember you but in the meantime, if...if you'll stand guard over Kagome, I'll see if I can gather some leads of my own. I just...I don't want her to be left alone but I can't let that asshole go free either."

"You know how a cell phone works, right?" Sango sighed as she rested her head on the hanyou's shoulder, "You'll be careful?"

"It'll take more than some tiny human to kill me," Inuyasha snorted - sounding more like himself than he had in the past several months, "He's got no chance. I'll find him in no time."


	19. Back to the Future Chp 19

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Sango's frazzled nerves were jumping all together and yet in completely different directions as she stood outside Miroku's hospital room. It was a moment she was dreading but one as unavoidable as the sun dipping down below the horizon. She wasn't holding out hope that he'd remember her - in fact, they'd talked numerous times before now without any chemistry whatsoever. Perhaps they merely settled in the past for people who they'd believe would accept them as they were in a world so much smaller. It wasn't like they were Inuyasha and Kagome. Their souls literally found each other out not once, but twice. They were just...

Shaking her head free of those thoughts, Sango held her breath as she rapped lightly on the laminate covered door and took a shuddering breath. It was funny how now that she knew who he was the prospect of speaking with him was so much more daunting - especially now that she wasn't handling the case at all. She'd been rehearsing her story for the past several minutes. She _merely_ wanted to check on the guy she saved and make sure he was alright from a civilian standpoint - nothing at all to do with the case. That was reasonable, right? Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Grimacing awkwardly when there was no response whatsoever to her knocking on the door, Sango sighed and tried once more - this time accompanying the softing rapping with a soft introduction. That earned her a response.

"Oh, of _course_ Chiyo," came the nervous, almost giddy sounding response along with the sound of objects being hastily put away and the clattering of a small pan, "I'm terrible sorry! I was, uh, sleeping. Come in."

Smirking slightly, Sango pushed opened the door and popped her head in - giving the injured man a warm smile which he eagerly returned.

"Sorry, I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing," Sango managed to say in a warm, sincere tone bereft of any nervous inclinations, "You doing alright?"

"Oh yes, yes, doing fine," came the man known as Ryo's response as he grinned at her like she was the sun itself before his brow furrowed and he glanced around the small bland room, "Uh, please, please sit. Um, why don't you tell me how the case is going?"

"They've got the man called Inuyasha under survelliance and a child has gone missing," Sango said slowly - trying to plot her next move, "Do you remember anything about the days before the attack?"

"Your partner was in here not one hour ago asking those same questions," Miroku acknowledged sagely as he narrowed his eyes - the cheeky grin never leaving his face, "How is it you don't know?"

"Well, I got taken off the case," Sango admitted sheepishly with a faint blush on her cheeks, "I, uh, just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Miroku responded as his cheery visage crumpled slightly as he began to run a solitary finger down the palm of the injured hand as he often had done whenever he wanted something to do with his hands in the distant past, "So, you were going to do some investigation on your on I take it. Will this will be the last I see you then?"

"It might be," Sango responded in a calm tone as she watched the gesture. One hand cradled the other as his thumb gently glided from one side to the other in an even, rhythmic fashion. He'd always done that while meditating or whenever he was nervous. Maybe there was still some Miroku in there after all. The former monk's sapphire eyes followed Sango's gaze filled with longing tinged ever so with love and quickly realized two things. One - Sango was awake and Two - Inuyasha had told her that he wasn't going to remember her. Well...damn it all to the seventh layer of hell. Might as well test out his theory and see whether she would make the same realization - if not no harm done and no awkward explanations needed.

Laughing once, he gestured pointedly at the small painting in the corner of the hospital room - filled with beautiful pictures of cranes and tall grass before sighing, "This may seem random but do you know I've often wondered about all these pieces of art they have in hospitals and museums. I saw one the other day in a museum downtown that was of all these demons and there were these figures dressed all in blank fighting them. As though _any_ human would _really_ be able to kill a demon if they were _real_. I mean, what would they be? Demon ninjas or would they just be demon bait?"

"They were called demon slayers. _Slayers._ Ninjas were different and bait would be insulting to their memory if they existed?" Sango responded a little tersely - causing Miroku's lips to twitch upwards completely missed by her as she rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

"My, my, what strong opinions you have on the matter of myths and legends," Miroku chuckled slightly - his sapphire eyes twinkling mischievously as Sango's cheeks bloomed a deep crimson. Unable to keep this game going and having gotten what he wanted out of her, Miroku scratched at his chin idly as his eyes drank in the sight of his long lost love, "Tell me - if you lived in those times and were a slayer, would you have preferred a bow, a sword or a boomerang? You seem like a boomerang gal to me. I've always fancied paper over the sword myself."

"Oh you ass, you _do_ remember!" Sango suddenly gasped in a tone of mixed amusement, joy and frustration - popping him lightly upside the head, "Why did you lie to Inuyasha?"

"I was pondering merely being honest with him when you first knocked," Miroku admitted as he reached up and caught her hand gently - running his thumb across the back of her hand as he sighed, "There's something you both must know. They've been asking me about him. Odd questions about hangouts and hideaways that I know in my heart would be unlike him- even in a modern era where I know little about where's he's been or what he's been doing. Then they came by a few hours ago with all these videos and pictures - asking me if I'd ever frequented them. They'll tailing him and I noticed something that I think they've overlooked just out of pure ignorance of the reality of demons. In all the pictures of him in these places, his cheeks are marred by jagged lines and his eyes are unnatural. His movements are not as graceful as I know his to be as well. Someone may be controlling him. Setting him up to take a fall."

"They've taken Tessaiga from him," Sango admitted breathlessly, "He hasn't had it now for almost three days."

"That isn't good but Naraku is _human_ ," Miroku said definitively as he glanced down at their hands and intertwined his fingers with hers, "He had no demonic aura from what I can recall so there is someone bigger than him pulling the strings. Someone powerful. Until we can pin point that being and have Tessaiga returned to him, Inuyasha shouldn't be left unattended."

"Agreed. He needs to be watched by someone who is aware of what he is," Sango sighed as a determined look fell into place, "I'll stand watch and see if I notice anything before I bring it to his attention. I don't want whomever is controlling him to know the game is up. They might accelerate their plans."

"Agreed," Miroku nodded before his sapphire eyes melted and he gave her a small smile as he scooted over in the bed and gently patted the rough bedding, "But...but perhaps that can wait for a few minutes or even an hour."

"I am not doing that in a hospital bed," Sango grumbled as she rolled her eyes and gave him an affectionate smirk, "You never change."

"Sango, you always misunderstand my intentions," Miroku replied playfully as he gave her a small pout, "I merely wanted to hold you. Is that a crime?"

"No," Sango replied shyly as she gave him a sultry glance before her smile faltered as a terrible realization set in her mind, "That can wait until we're alone. I need to go back and check on Inuyasha. _Now_. I may have just given him some _terrible_ advice."

"What did you say?" Miroku asked, sitting up with impressive speed, "What could you've said that would worry you so?"

"I suggested for him to do what he would've done in our era," Sango responded with a grimace, "I basically told him to go chase after Naraku."

"Oh no," the monk hissed as he shook his head, "Go get him before he leaves and runs straight into their hands. You're right. This can wait."


	20. Back to the Future Chp 20

**XXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXX**

The ebony haired man huffed as he sat in the largely empty train station trying to plot his next move. It was late - _very_ late - and he was running out of options. He _wanted_ to make it to Tokyo but the stupid train was having mechanical difficulties. People who might recognize him from the television were swarming the train - workers, police officers - and so - despite being in the open seeming like the stupid option, he'd found a secluded area in which to hunker down until they called for boarding again. He was shocked - _shocked_ he'd tell you - that no one had caught him yet. Sure he was using fake papers but still, he knew his face had to be plastered everywhere.

It was strange but the guilt was eating away at him and the more time ticked by the more he regretted every action he'd done. It made no fucking sense. Each gentle tick of the clock made the past few days more fuzzy and now here he was in a quiet, rural train station with a little strange child he'd kidnapped. Great job, Isao. Great fucking job. It wasn't even like he'd been drinking, although how he'd been feeling was like a steady state of being wasted. Everything seemed like the best idea he'd ever had and half of them didn't even really seem like _his_ own ideas. Almost felt like someone was controlling him.

Maybe he should just claim insanity and turn himself in. I mean, they were _going_ to catch him. It was only a matter of time. Sure, Japan had the death penalty and he _had_ murdered someone...maybe _more_ than one someone...but I mean an insanity plea could take capital punishment off the table. Or he could just leave the kid here and run for it. That was a possibility too.

Bouncing his foot anxiously against the solid grey linoleum floor, Isao glanced around the train station anxiously - eyeing the solitary security guard wearily as he leaned into the ticket booth and flirted with the girl behind the counter. Making a run for it probably could work. He'd just leave the kid here and head out into this god forsaken rural town. He could dye his hair and grow out a beard and make up an entirely new identity. I mean, it couldn't be _that_ hard, right? People did that in movies all the time. Yeah, making a run for it seemed like a better and better idea with each passing second. Now to, uh, recuse himself from this train station without...

Before he could make good on his plan, Isao found himself being hoisted up by the scruff of his shirt and staring down into two narrowed, angry looking amber eyes.

 **XXXXXXX**

" _Crap_ ," Sango muttered under her breath as she looked into the empty room - devoid of any hanyou whatsoever. Kagome was still there - comatose as ever - but no Inuyasha. This wasn't great. Why on earth had she pushed him into going out to search for clues without her? Especially considering he'd been having problems controlling his inner demon. This seemed like one of those mistakes that could only lead to even larger mistakes. Quickly crossing to Kagome's bedside, Sango looked around anxiously before patting Kagome's face gently in a desperate attempt to wake her up.

"Come on, wake up," Sango whispered quietly as she continued to pat her friend's face, "Come on. Inuyasha is in trouble. He _needs_ you."

The increased tempo of the heart monitor told the former slayer her words had been heard but it didn't seem to be doing a damn thing in terms of waking her up.

"Come on, fight it," Sango whispered a little more forcefully, "You've fought off way worse things than this. I know you've got it in you. Now wake up. Inuyasha's gone after Naraku on his own."

With a startled gasp, Kagome suddenly sat bolt upright and blinked at the incredulous and shocked looking slayer who whispered ' _I_ _can't believe that worked_ ' under her breath.

"How do you know that name?" Kagome asked heatedly - her voice hoarse from disuse before her face crumpled into complete confusion and she seemed to finally process what had just happened, "Wait, am I awake or is this a dream?"

"You're awake," Sango breathed in relief as she moved forward to embrace her friend, "And I'm awake as well. It's been so long Kagome. So, so very long. I never thought I'd see you again."

"Sango?" Kagome asked tearfully as she forced her friend back and stared into her face - searching for some solid sign that this wasn't a dream, "How is this possible?"

"I don't know," Sango whispered back as she gave her friend a watery smile before she composed herself and her face turned serious, "But we can talk later. Inuyasha is in danger. We think someone is controlling him."

"We...as in more than just you" Kagome began slowly - her brain still trying to play catch up as she stared dumbly at her long lost friend, "So...Shippo?"

"Uh, not quite," Sango admitted as a shy grin grew on her face, "Miroku is awake as well."

"Oh Sango! That's wonderful!" Kagome gasped excitedly as she pulled her friend into a tight embrace again before her face crumpled, "Wait, why do you think someone is controlling Inuyasha?"

"They've been watching him and now he's..." Sango began before filling in her friend as to all the insipid details - the miko's sapphire eyes growing wider with each passing update.

"Naraku is human though," Kagome finally managed to respond breathlessly after a few minutes - the gears in her mind trying to go into overdrive to make sense of it all, "So is it because Inuyasha doesn't have Tessaiga or do you think it's something or someone else?"

"I'm not sure," Sango replied honestly, "I'm going to talk to my parter Kosei to see if he can help us. Whether we can get any type of information whatsoever. I just hope Inuyasha doesn't do anything in the meantime to get himself into too much trouble. I was thinking like Sango and not like the police officer I am today. I gave him terrible advice."

"I imagine its confusing," Kagome comforted her friend as she rubbed Sango's shoulder soothingly, "Don't be too hard on yourself. He hasn't been himself lately so maybe a good hunt is exactly what he needs."

"You know, on another note, I think he'd make a great bounty hunter - someone who gets paid to track down fugitives for pay," Sango sighed as she gave her friend a big smile, "If Miroku doesn't keep him on as a security guard."

"That'll be up to him," Kagome laughed softly before grimacing in pain when she tried to stand up, "Oh gosh, Naraku really got me, didn't he?"

"I'd say I'm shocked you seem to be handling what happened so...uh, well I guess," Sango whispered softly, "I don't know whether I would be so put together."

"It was traumatizing and I'm not okay, and probably won't be for awhile," Kagome admitted as she finally realized the battle to get up was lost and laid back down, "But as long as Inuyasha is by my side, I can overcome anything and right now he's in more danger than me. I can't lose him again. Please find him."

Nodding somberly, Sango placed a loving kiss on her dear friend's temple before adjusting her dress and pulling out her phone, "I'm going to call my partner then head out. I'll call the hospital the second I get any news alright?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kagome sighed miserably as she folded her arms tightly across her chest, "Just...find him."


	21. Back to the Future Chp 21

**XXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXX**

The soft click of a woman's heels down the marbled hallway was the only sign at the moment that he wasn't completely alone with this maniac who'd kidnapped him. Not that he could really judge said maniac for doing the exact same thing he had done just a few days before but _still_. This was unreal. The strange man wore a stark grey pinstriped suit that was obviously designer. His short white hair was perfectly combed and his skin was absolutely flawless. Everything about him screamed power and influence so… _why_ kidnap him?

"I'll ask you again," came the monotone voice that seemed so familiar as he removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves, "When did these thoughts, these visions begin?"

"I don't fucking know what you're talking about!" the man named Naraku lied through his teeth – not about to admit that he potentially dreamed up the whole situation with the strange woman, "Who the fuck are you?!."

"Let me rephrase," the man's voice continued – sounding thoroughly tired to this ordeal as he admired his nails that were beginning to glow an almost neon greenish color, "Why did these visions begin? What triggered them? What is the last thing you remember clearly?"

"What the fuck is wrong with your hands?!" Isao screamed as he struggled fruitlessly against the handcuffs, "Jesus! What are you?!"

"Who or what I am is none of your concern," the man continued with a heavy sigh – his hand still up in the air, "What I need to know if who or what triggered your memories."

"And I told you I don't fucking…. ** _MOTHERFUCKING SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?_** " the weak protest was cut off by a ear piercing shriek when the man dug a single claw into the man's leg – his flesh slowly disintegrating around it, "Fine! _FINE_! _**FUCK**_! _**FINE**_! _**THERE WAS A FUCKING WOMAN IN A TAROT CARD READING SHOP! IT'S NEAR AMERIKAMURA!**_ "

"Interesting," the silver haired man hummed as he removed the digit and turned to wipe the blood from his finger with a plain white handkerchief, "Now what is your name."

"Isao," the man panted heavily - grimacing in pain as he stared in horror at the increasingly large hole in his leg, "My name is Isao Nakamura."

"Must we go through this again," the man sighed heavily - his amber eyes flashing menacingly as he placed the soiled cloth onto a grand mahogany table, "What is your name?"

"Uh, uh...Onigumo? No. No, Naraku. My name is...was Naraku," the man spluttered as he subconsciously leaned away from the man and set his jaw, "Is that right?"

"It will do," the man hummed darkly as he turned once more and began looking at some news paper clippings and photographs on his desk, "Now I'm going to show you three women. I want you to point to the one who ran the tarot shop. Lies will get you nowhere. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Isao breathed as he struggled not to black out as the strange man picked up some loose papers and walked over to him. The first woman was strange looking - skinny, short black hair and very scantily clad. The background was strange - she appeared to work in a wig shop of some kind or perhaps she was a hairdresser. The shelves behind her were filled with Styrofoam heads covered with all manner of hair and elaborate combs.

"Is this her?" the man asked in an almost bored tone. Isao shook his head vehemently. Humming in approval, the man withdrew the second piece of paper - a news clipping from the fifties if he wasn't mistaken. The angry looking woman was being held at bay by several police officers at some protest for something or another - her long black hair filled with braids decorated with small feathers.

"Is this her?" the man asked casually - almost as though he knew what the answer would be. Again Isao shook his head vehemently. Nodding, the silver haired man withdrew the third and final photograph. This news clipping looked even older. The young woman had long silver hair and a scaly scar over one eye. The headline read something about the impact of the atomic bomb and had several other pictures but those others obviously hadn't caught his attention.

"That's her," Isao breathed shakily before his eyes widened in horror, "I mean, she looked like her. There's no way its her. She's too young."

"Is she?" the silver haired man chuckled - an eerie disturbing sound, "Maybe she merely looks good for her age."

"I'm telling you what I know," Isao breathed anxiously as his whole body trembled, "Maybe its her daughter or granddaughter even."

"Perhaps," the man responded coldly as he slowly held his hand in front of his face - the nails glowing a radioactive green, "It matters not to the likes of you any longer."

In the blink of an eye, a long green whip suddenly emerged from seemingly nowhere and cleaved the man in twine. Sighing heavily at the slowly dissolving waste of a corpse, Sesshomaru shook his head before walking over to the phone and dialing.

"We have a problem," he stated matter of factly when the other side picked up before ordering in a tone that left no room for argument, "Call the council."

 **XXXXXXXXX**

He'd started at the entrance to the building that held Miroku's penthouse and went from there. The scent was almost stale but as he was working backwards, that fact didn't bother him very much. He merely wanted answers. He highly doubted that the reincarnation of Naraku had spiritual powers - that fact had been bothering him from the moment he'd seen the sutra that'd been ripped off Anora's arm. There had to be someone else pulling the strings - someone with enough spiritual power to embed a sutra with enough power to last for days by a layman. Someone who knew a little too much about all of them to be just any stranger. The only problem is that try as he might to run over the list of dark mikos in the feudal era that might still be alive, the list itself was non-existent. They'd killed all of them - not that he wasn't ruling out an awakened reincarnation mind you but still...nothing about this situation made any sense. Everything was lining up a little too well and yet not well at all. Miroku hired him out of seemingly nowhere then was attacked the next day. Sango is the cop assigned to the case. Shippo's son was stolen. Everyone regaining their memories. Trust him, he wanted it to be something as simple as it all being the doing of Naraku but the more he thought about it the less likely that seemed to be plausible. While he was many thing, Naraku was never someone who was quite this... _messy_. His actions were that of a man who was mentally ill - not a cold, calculated supervillain. No, something else was going on.

Casually - to not draw attention to himself - he followed the scent down the cement sidewalk and groaned inwardly as he came to a stop right above a subterranean subway station several blocks later. It was going to be damn near impossible to follow a scent through there. In fact, he found it nearly impossible to breathe down there as it was but having to take long, deep breaths in that hell hole? _Shit_ it was as good as torture. Yet for some reason, _this_ is what his instincts were screaming at him to do which to his non-instinct driven mind made absolutely _no_ sense. There was limited visibility, no way to pull off a clean escape, a high number of observers which meant a lot more scent to sift through. Yet his instincts were screaming at him to follow the scent into the subway with such ferocity it was almost a compulsion. Follow the scent no matter where it leads.

Stuffing his hands into his jean pockets, Inuyasha took a deep breath before slowly making his way down the granulated steps, pausing every so often to look over his shoulder. His instincts were _also_ screaming at him that this was a trap - which _also_ made no sense. It was like there were two sets, two parts of him and they were in complete odds. Something was wrong with him. He'd felt this for a while. Since when did he feel terrified over...well, just about anything? Death was a part of life that he'd never really seen the need to fear. Yeah, he'd been scared for his friends lives before never to the point where he felt damn near paralyzed. His strength had always been being able to think and act on the spur of the moment and yet here he was overthinking and second guessing his instincts which had never done him wrong before - at least when he wasn't in the middle of some major heartbreak- _looking at you Naraku pretending to be Kikyo._ Still, it was like his feet had a mind of their own as well as they continued forward, into the station, through the portals that led to the inner belly of this place that smelled like every bad thing.

The station was thriving with people as was to be expected. Every scent from soap to piss overloaded his senses as he tried to follow that one already stale scent straight to a particular terminal. With a heavy sigh, he leaned forward slightly to stare into the black tunnel, willing those red lights to blink back at him so he could get to his next destination, praying they'd come closer, announcing that at least he would soon be on his way. He hated the subway. Really he did. It was his least favorite place in all of Japan. Before the jewel performed its last act of vengeance against them, the only time he'd been near one of these suckers was when he'd had to chase Kagome's backpack and he'd been on the crowded train for all of five seconds. Five seconds of pure sensory overload and that station had been _above_ ground. Still, he just needed to get on the train and get off at the station where the trail began again. Worst case scenario it'd be thirty minutes of this and then he'd be free.

Soon the lights took pity on him and the train came whistling down the tracks before coming gracefully to a halt in front of him. Hopping on, he took hold of the nearest bar and waited. One stop, two stops, three stops then mercifully on the fourth the scent hit him and he gratefully exited onto a completely abandoned platform.

' _Since when is any platform abandoned_,' his instincts that had been making somewhat more sense than the second batch screamed, ' _Get back on the train, stupid. Get back on the train! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_'

Glancing around, he took just a little too long as the train door closed behind him and the train took off into the darkness leaving him all alone. Adrenaline flooded through him as he turned to watch the train leaving before he turned abruptly to stare at the empty platform behind him, paranoia eating away at his calm. Something was wrong. With his instincts. With this situation. Something was _very_ wrong.

Shaking himself mentally, Inuyasha quickly turned to follow the trail onward and out of the creepy space when suddenly he saw a familiar looking face standing before him - somehow missed completely in all this time.

' _It's impossible that she's the same woman,_ ' he lied to his racing heart as he quickened his pace towards the exit, ' _We killed her. This is just a coincidence_.'

The set of instincts that he should've been listening to all along disagreed while the other set of instincts cooed and told him all was well. Fuck that second set. He needed to get out of here and fast. Quickening his pace, he marched straight ahead as normally yet as fast as he could. He didn't want to be left alone with this woman - reincarnation or not. After all, if _Naraku_ remembered he sure as hell didn't want to be...

"Inuyasha," the woman suddenly cooed - his blood freezing in his veins as he tried to continue forward only to realize he was suddenly unable to move, "Come with me."

' _No, no, no, no, no_ ,' his mind screamed even as his body moved of its own accord, ' _Fight it. Fight it. Fight it_.'

Traitorously, however, just as that thought crossed his mind - his mind went blank and he knew no more.


	22. Back to the Future Chp 22

**XXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXX**

Much to the dismay and anxiety of everyone involved, Inuyasha wasn't answering his phone. Kagome was still bedridden for the next couple days and was completely beside herself to the point where the hospital had forcibly sedated her after she tore open her stiches. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that they all _knew_ \- thanks to Shippo - that Naraku's reincarnation had been captured and that, uh, he would no longer be a problem thanks to none other than Sesshomaru who had also discovered that it was Tsubaki who had been pulling all the strings - for what purpose was still to be determined. Apparently the demon world had been watching her for some time as they did all potential threats to their undercover society.

It apparently had been kept under wraps for the most part that Inuyasha had managed to time travel - the story being kept simply as he'd been sealed until the proper time had arisen for him to be reawakened. The Council was aware but not even their assistants were given access to such top secret information. They'd been watching him as well since he arrived and several of them who had known him in the past were more than a little concerned by his behavior. While much of it could be explained away as being deposited into a strange land, there were times when he was not himself. Sneaking out in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. His cheeks adorned with those dangerous jagged purple lines. Him ignoring his sword. His _sword_ for crying out loud! Never in a million years would any of them have expected that and indeed, that was one of the things that first caught their attention. His sword was essentially an extension of himself, something he treasured above all other things and yet he'd been refusing to take it with him - seeming almost ashamed of it. _Almost_ as ashamed as the four figures in the room trying to determine their next course of action.

"I'm going with you," the fiery red head announced in a tone that left no room for argument, "Shippo can stay here."

Anora's emerald eyes flickered defiantly between the three other figures in the room as she held her head high. She _needed_ to redeem herself. Their relationship was relatively new by demon standards- less than two hundred years old- and to top it all off - in her opinion to which no man could dissuade her - _she_ was the reason her husband's surrogate mother was injured. Part of her desire to redeem herself stemmed from the fact that Anora wasn't originally from Japan. An Irish fox, her tribe traced its ancestry all the way back to the Norseman who'd teamed up with them to explore and sometimes conquer civilizations centuries ago. Unlike the trickster foxes of Japan, her people were warriors at heart and in truth, it was Shippo's bravery that had first drawn her attention and also why she felt so ashamed of her behavior. Foxes in Ireland were known for the pearl they wore around their necks which were rumored to give good luck to whomever possessed it. Each Pearl was passed down from generation to generation when they came of age and it was on that fated day that she received her Pearl that she met Shippo - who'd been traveling the world to see what it had to offer. That was almost two hundred years ago now and despite having the Irish version of Hope for a name, hope that she'd ever be able to make up for her mistake was slowly draining away.

"Anora, you should stay here with Miroku and Kagome," Shippo began in a strained voice as he rubbed his hand aggravatedly over his face and slumped back into the uncomfortable visitor's chair, "And Sesshomaru will be dropping off our son soon. Don't you..."

"I am the better fighter. _Admit_ it," Anora groaned imploringly, "I want...no I _need_ to do this."

"You don't _need_ to do anything," Shippo sighed as he cast his two old friends an apologetic grimace, " _I_ need to be the one..."

"I'm going," Anora huffed as she began listing off all she could do that Shippo couldn't by pointing at her perfectly manicured fingers, "I can cast protective barriers, Japanese sutras have no effect on me, my fangs and claws drip acid and I am _just_ as flame retardant as you. My sense of smell is stronger and I'm able to run faster and..."

"And you _can't_ disguise yourself like I can," Shippo interrupted tersely - his nine tails shaking in aggravation, "And what if something happens to you while you're out there trying to redeem yourself for something that's _already_ been forgiven? We can't both be out there and not protecting our children!"

"We're both out there _now_ and the Council has posted guards! They're in good hands!" Anora sighed exasperatedly as she threw up her hands and set her jaw, "Let me do this."

"If it's so important to you to go then _go_ ," Shippo clipped back harshly before sighing and adding in a much more affectionate tone, "I just can't lose you. Our children can't lose you. Don't do anything rash, alright?"

"I promise," Anora sighed as she stood up and looked at Sango -earing some tight fitting yoga pants and a light pink cloth jacket, her gun holster strapped tightly around her leg for easy draw. If he was a betting man, she probably had several knives hidden as well. Some things never changed and Sango still never went into battle without being armed to the teeth. With a quick glance over the woman, Anora straightened herself up as she cleared her throat and asked, "You ready?"

Sango nodded absently as she dialed Inuyasha's cell phone one more time, "Yeah. Let's go. He still isn't answering his phone. Where do you think he'd start?"

"My penthouse," Miroku opined from his place by the window, "Or their apartment."

"My money's on the penthouse. That's the first place Naraku made his appearance, right?" Shippo reasoned, "I'd check there first."

"Alright, it's a plan then," Sango nodded as she turned to her new partner, "Let's go."

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Inuyasha was _gone_. At least, those pieces and parts that made up his personality, his thoughts, and his instincts. All that was left was an empty vessel primed and ready to do whatever the dark miko wanted him to do without question. As he followed her – face completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever – Tsubaki smirked. All he needed to do was drink that potion and she could consume his essence. Inuyasha would be no more than just an average human…if the process didn't kill him that is. Eh, if it did, no big loss.

It had been much easier than she'd expected. The almighty Inuyasha who never shied away from any challenge had been _beaten_. Beaten down by his _own_ fears and insecurities that she'd managed to magnify with each passing day. Beaten down by the small impulses she'd been planting in his brain for weeks now. Beaten down by the brilliant – in her opinion- idea to make him shy away from using that sword. He'd been beaten and easily too.

"Inuyasha," Tsubaki called in a sing song tune as she unlocked the door to her small apartment, "Aren't you thirsty? Why don't you come in and have a drink?"

Nodding once, the zombified Inuyasha stood a step over the threshold and obediently followed the silver haired woman into the small living room where she pushed him down into a wobbly wooden chair as easily as if he were a small child.

"Take a seat," she ordered curtly as she casually walked over to the small collection of poultices and potions sitting neatly on a plain wooden shelf. Casually sorting through them and setting some aside, Tsubaki looked over her shoulder and sent him a sly grin, "Now what will we do with you, huh? Do I keep you under my control and send you back to kill all those miserable fools? Do I just kill you now? Do I make you my slave? _So_ many options. What to do? What to do?"

Flinging a couple vials into a small basket, Tsubaki turned and with a pale hand forced Inuyasha's chin up to look at her, "There _are_ some quite _fun_ things I could do with you. Maybe I start there and we see how you ,uh, stand up."

Pleased with her sick joke, the silver haired woman hummed happily to herself as she turned on the gas stove and began to run the faucet as she talked at the blankly staring hanyou, "I'm surprised that I was able to break you so easily. I expected more of a fight. You did this to _yourself_ you know. This should've been hard. I barely even _tried_."

When the hanyou remained unmoving and silent, Tsubaki's smile slowly faded off her face and she sighed heavily before placing the full pot onto the burner, "You are allowed to respond. It's no fun if you're quiet."

"What would you like me to say?" came an even, completely un-Inuyasha-like voice. Groaning inwardly, Tsubaki glanced over her shoulder before shrugging, "Whatever you want."

"What am I doing here?" he asked quietly in a time much more befitting asking about the time than a life threatening situation, "Where are we?"

"I'm keeping you prisoner and we're at my apartment," Tsubaki answered with a chuckle as she opened a vial and poured a bit into the water which turned a putrid shade of green. Blinking a little faster than he was, Inuyasha issued a innocent sounding ' _oh_ ' as he began to look around at his surroundings, "Why am I your prisoner? Did I do something wrong?"

"You've been very bad," Tsubaki answered in an almost playful tone, "And bad boys get punished."

"Oh," Inuyasha responded in that same child-like tone, "What did I do?"

"You ask too many questions," Tsubaki groaned as she rolled her eyes and added a random sprig to her concoction, "Be quiet."

"Okay," came his emotionless reply as his eyes continued to look around - a flash of consciousness flitting across his face every so often completely missed by the dark miko who continued to draft her brew. The putrid green had faded to a buttercup yellow and now was a shimmering golden color as she stirred in silence. Every once in a while she'd make a face and shake her head as though debating something with herself before a evil grin grew over her face.

"Have you ever been with a woman?" Tsubaki asked casually out of thin air after a moment as she glanced over her shoulder, smirking when he shook his head, "Huh. So I could be your first? _Fascinating_."

A flash of disgust and horror flickered across his face faster than Tsubaki could turn and grab a nearby glass, "There are _many_ ways to steal a demon's powers . Some more... _traditional_ than others and some much more _enjoyable_. So, which way would _you_ like to go? Pain or pleasure?"


	23. Back to the Future Chp 23

**A/N: So...my computer deleted all my chapters. I had this damn thing finished and now I'm starting over. Thus the delay.**

 **XXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXX**

Blinking sluggishly at the ceiling, Kagome took a deep calming breath as her mind raced - visions of her past life rushing by in a flurry of colors. It was strange to say the least to have Kikyo bouncing around in her skull, to feel all the emotions the dead miko had felt swirling unchecked through her heart. In a way it was bittersweet. Despite their rocky beginnings, Kikyo had become one of her dearest friends and while there was a sense of familiarity, the fact was that Kikyo hadn't truly returned. It felt more like an echo reverberating through her soul.

There had been a moment where Kikyo had full control and utterly panicked - ripping open the stitches by accident but now they shared a conciousness and both had come to the same conclusion.

This _ended_ **_now_**.

They'd heard Shippo talking on the phone about the true culprit behind everything being a dark miko. Some people were like cockroaches it would seem - no matter how many times you tried to stamp them out they somehow always managed to find a way to survive and Tsubaki was a cockroach of epic proportions. While _Kagome_ did not possess the skill needed to hone in on another's spiritual energy, _Kikyo_ was all too willing to provide that life experience. The trick would be managing to leave without drawing attention to herself. Sure, she was injured - stitches in her stomach and psychologically rattled - but truly, when had any of that ever stopped them before? There was no way that the Council or their friends would be able to find him on time. No. It was up to them.

 **XXXXXXX**

"Alright Mr. Ishinomori, you're all set to be discharged," the nurse chirped happily - her ponytail swinging wildly as she made a great show of removing the various instruments attached to his body, "Just remember that you still have to come in for rehab for the next six weeks."

"I'll remember. Thank you," Miroku grimaced as he watched her remove the IV from the crook of his elbow. Reaching over to the side table, the former monk picked up his cell phone and anxiously checked his messages as he had done every fifteen minutes since Sango had left that morning. He wasn't foolish. The moment they killed Tsubaki the curse that allowed them all to remember who they used to be would be broken. It took every ounce of self discipline that he had not to call her - who knew if the ring or vibration would alert that evil miko to her whereabouts? He wasn't sure that Sango realized the repercussions of defeating Tsubaki and he wasn't about to give her a reason to hesitate. They'd lived their life together once already and fate had already put them in each other's path. Perhaps they would get to share a life all over again but perhaps that was too much to ask for.

"Alright, I'll leave so you can get dressed properly," the nurse chirped - interrupting his train of thought, "And don't look so upset. They'll catch that man soon. I know it."

"Of course," Miroku laughed dismissively - forcing a smile onto his face, "I'm sure they will."

It had been explicitly forbidden to share any information concerning the true fate of Naraku or the true culprit with anyone not already in the know - as if _anyone_ would believe them even if they did. Glancing back down at the phone in his hand once more, Miroku sighed.

Not even a text.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Sesshomaru told us to wait for his signal," Anora hissed as loudly as she dared as she followed the slayer who was maneuvering through the subway passengers like her pants were on fire, "He told us to wait _here_."

"He also killed a man who might've been saved," Sango hissed back as she continued forward with no intention of slowing down, "I didn't follow his orders then and I'm not now. We're more than capable of tracking Inuyasha on our own."

"I understand where you're coming from but..." Anora began hesitantly, " _But_ the Council isn't going to be happy if we get him killed."

Glancing over her shoulder, Sango gave her new friend an apologetic glance as she sighed, "We're not going to get him killed. We're going to save him."

"Sesshomaru is very powerful," Anora began again anxiously now - kicking herself for not letting it go, "If we don't follow orders, he could take it out on us. I could get deported. We might have to go to a tribunal. You, Miroku and Kagome could be 'taken care of' as a threat to demon existence."

"That's not going to happen," Sango soothed as they began to quickly head up the stairs that led to the street, "We're going to find him and everything is going to work out. Now where does his scent go from here?"

 **XXXXXXX**

"Just drink it," Tsubaki sighed heavily as she held the steaming glass out to the hanyou who was doing a very good imitation of a toddler who didn't want to eat his veggies, "Do as you're told."

"No, this is wrong," he responded faintly in a very confused voice - her amber eyes flickering between full consciousness and utter bewilderment, "No. _No_."

Rolling her eyes, Tsubaki took a deep calming breath as she placed her hand gently on his temple. For a moment it glowed a soft pink and by the time she pulled back, any hesitancy was gone.

"Now drink," she ordered as she gave him a sly smirk when he took the glass and downed it with impressive speed - his body shimmering slightly as he handed her the glass, "That's a good boy."

Setting the glass down, Tsubaki rolled her shoulders slightly before turning back to face him. She could still see him fighting behind the calm, stoic mask - his amber eyes giving away the fact that he was close to managing to throw her curse off once more. With a gentle sigh, Tsubaki gently lifted his chin and pressed her lips to his. It took a few kisses to get him to respond - his mind still torn as to how to react. Finally, it seemed that the potion took effect as the half-demon's amber eyes glazed over and in that instant, he returned the kiss almost viciously. Laughing gently in victory, Tsubaki let out a small gasp when he sat up a little straighter and wrapped his arms around her waist to draw her closer to him.

"You liked that, didn't you Inuyasha?" Tsubaki crooned as she pulled back - smirking slightly at the way his unseeing amber eyes had paled to a watery yellow and his silver hair had taken on a much duller sheen. Panting slightly, he nodded before leaning forward to try to continue where they'd left off. Cooing, Tsubaki gently lifted his chin upwards as she kissed him again. Despite his appearance clearly stating otherwise, there seemed to be a renewed energy to him as he returned the kiss feverishly - pushing her back slightly as he began to dominate the kiss - his hands moving down to grip her ass as his ears pinned back and he moaned in pleasure. Moaning herself, Tsubaki reached down to palm his building erection - loving each influx of his youkai flowing through her as their lips met and took on an almost feral quality.

"That's it," Tsubaki crooned as she pulled back for air and panted slightly, "Just let go. It'll all be over soon but what a way to go, hm?"

 _ **\- KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK -**_

Setting her jaw, the dark miko gave the front door a side-eyed glare before turning back to the heavily panting hanyou. It was impossible that they found her and even if they had, her wards and barriers were far too strong for any mortal or demon to pass through. Pressing her lips to his once more - earning herself a moan of approval - Tsubaki had just decided to ignore it when the knocks came once more.

 _ **\- KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK -**_

"Fine, might as well see who it is," she muttered to herself - knowing it was impossible for anyone to cross over the threshold. Oh they could try and it'd be interesting to see them do so, but ultimately, it'd be futile. She'd increased in strength these past many decades and had a few new tricks up her sleeve. No one was strong enough to defeat her now. No one.

 _ **-KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK -**_

"Coming," Tsubaki called out in a sickly sweet voice as she leaned forward and gave the hanyou a lingering passionate kiss that had him sagging visibly afterwards, his hair now a dark grey and his eyes more hazel than gold. With a light chuckle, she made her way towards the door and just as she unlocked it, a fist collided solidly with her face.

" _Surprise!_ Miss me?"


	24. Back to The Future Chp 24

**A/N: Yes I know she's OOC - indulge me.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Kagome?! _**How**_!?" Tsubaki hissed angrily as she held her swollen cheek and took an involuntary step backwards before smirking when she saw the blood seeping through her bandages. Straightening up her stance slightly, Tsubaki lowered her hand and quickly gave her opponent a once over, "Oh this is _priceless_. Foolish child, you're _still_ injured. How do you expect to defeat me?"

"Such a strong spiritual presence was hard to ignore. Following it was child's play and I _didn't_ come here alone," Kagome answered calmly - choosing to let Tsubaki know just how much pain she was truly in as she crossed over the threshold with ease - a few sparks the only sign that there was a barrier at all, "But you should know that better than anyone."

Snorting derisively, Tsubaki purposefully glanced over her opponents shoulder before cocking a brow, "You foolish child, you can bluff all you want but it's plain that you came unarmed, unprepared and alone. You _really_ expect to defeat me?!"

"Now Tsubaki," came Kagome's voice - a small tone of amusement undercutting the audible threat dripping from every word, "Has it not been you who has been toying with reincarnations? Do you honestly expect me to believe you don't realize who you're dealing with?"

"Kikyo," Tsubaki breathed anxiously as her eyes widened in understanding. A few tense seconds passed before Kagome gave the woman before her a cold, superior look, "Indeed and it's all thanks to you."

"Still your presence means _nothing_ ," Tsubaki crooned as her eyes landed subtly on a staff leaning idly in the corner, "You came _completely_ unarmed unless you believe you can beat me with your bare hands."

"That won't be necessary," Kikyo clipped as the corners of her lips twitched upwards as she followed Tsubaki's gaze, "You somehow manage to fall into the same trap every time."

"Is that so?" Tsubaki jeered angrily as she began moving slowly towards the seemingly ordinary staff - she needed time, a distraction, a delay, "Pray. Tell me how you still manage to be so _arrogant_. I cursed you once without so much as _touching_ you. Leave now or I'll do the same to your reincarnation."

"Is that so?" came Kikyo's amused voice as she watched the enemy back herself into a literal corner, "I do not know how many times I must repeat myself. I've warned you time and time again to not harm Inuyasha and yet here you have done so. Do you never think before you act?"

"You're as much a fool as ever," Tsubaki laughed as she took hold of the small wooden staff that transformed into her faithful albino serpent instantly, "You honestly believe you can defeat me. Aren't you just _precious_?"

"How many times must you have that forced into your eye to realize that trick will never work?" Kikyo sighed as her sapphire eyes watched the serpent wearily, "What do you intend to accomplish?"

"Who said I was going to use it on you?" Tsubaki sneered as she quickly crossed the small distance to the mostly human Inuyasha's side and held the snake out - it's fangs tensed and ready around his neck in a heartbeat, "Leave now and I won't have my pet rip his throat out in front of you."

Setting her jaw, Kikyo's eyes flickered anxiously between Tsubaki and Inuyasha as her mind went into overdrive. This was a battle that required years of knowledge that Kagome merely didn't possess. It wasn't a matter of saving Inuyasha for herself - once Tsubaki was defeated she would merely fade out of existence once more just as the others would. It was a matter of saving Inuyasha for the benefit of her most treasured friend, the woman who had saved her from herself in more ways than one. As she watched the jaws of the snake tense ever so around his throat, Kikyo tried summoning all her spiritual power to blast that unholy witch and her serpent from the face of the earth. At this point, Inuyasha would merely be turned human - the small amount of youkai still in his system little more than a trace. All that matter now was that he would survive. He had to. In fact, the longer she watched his face - the more it seemed to be dawning on Inuyasha that this indeed was a situation that he had not willingly found himself. Deep hazel eyes were watching the woman beside him with increasing anger and loathing - whatever spell she must've had him under was lifting and in her fixation, she was missing all the warning signs.

"Let him go..." Kikyo began quietly as she held her hands up in surrender, "Your fight is with me."

"Leave or I'll kill him. I've already gotten all that I need out of him," Tsubaki bluffed seamlessly before an evil grin spread over her face, "Do you want to know what he was doing before you so rudely interrupted? He was kissing _me_ , touching _me_. He wanted me not you _or_ your reincarnation. _Me_."

"Is that so?" Kikyo asked - her face a stoic mask, "I have never seen him so calm as I do now. Are you sure he came willingly?"

The muscles of Tsubaki's jaw twitched angrily as she narrowed her eyes. As much as she didn't want to waste those last traces of youkai, this was the only way she could foresee leaving this battle alive. Poison him. Use him as a shield then abandon his corpse. It was the only way she could...

The dull clawed hand that plunged into her chest through pure strength alone surprised her even more than her protective serpent plunging his fangs into the man's neck almost instantaneously. Even more disturbing in that next moment was the sight of her still beating heart being ripped from her body. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the dark miko collapsed to her knees and grasped weakly forward as though she could merely take her heart and place it back into her chest and all would be well in the world but as it fell sickeningly onto the flood with a wet thud, the world went dark and the last thing she saw was the hanyou trying to quell the heavy bleeding coming from his throat. The blood didn't gush in a constant flow, but in time with the beating of Inuyasha's heart. At first it came thick and strong, flowing through his fingers as they clasped the ripped flesh. He felt the blood move over his hand, the thick fluid no warmer or cooler than his own skin. After a few moments more the blood was still leaving his rapidly paling flesh, but the pulses slower, weaker until finally he collapsed onto the floor...directly next to the equally lifeless dark miko.

"Ka-Kagome..."


	25. Back to the Future Chp 25

**XXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXX**

Inuyasha's chest heaved erratically as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He'd been injured this badly before and recovered he told himself. This was nothing but a thing. He'd be fine and...and...he'd _finally_ be with Kagome. They'd have brats of their own and...and they'd be happy. This _wasn't_ how things were supposed to go. _None_ of it had been how things were supposed to have gone.

A single traitorous tear slid down his pale cheek as his pained hazel eyes met Kagome's watery sapphire blue. It was a slow kind of torture to watch her struggling to hold back tears when there was nothing he could do. Every time he tried to force words of comfort all that came up was a fresh onslaught of blood which only seemed to accomplish her trying to shush him. Darkness was creeping steadily inwards from the corner of his mind and with each passing second his body grew colder.

"Stay with me," she pleaded softly as she ran her free hand down his cheek, "Just stay with me."

He wanted to. More than _anything_ he wanted to but his body was fighting against him. He tried to convey how much he loved her and how sorry he was for this fate through his half-lidded eyes. No matter what happened Kagome always had been able to know exactly what he meant through small things like that. She'd know when he was sorry by the way his ears lay flat against his head. She knew what every one of his smirks or growls _really_ meant. She knew when he needed to be left alone and when he needed her there by body language alone. She'd always just... _known_.

"I know," she whispered then as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his temple - as her body shook with silent sobs, "I love you too. It'll be okay. You're going to be okay."

Nodding silently, Inuyasha lost the battle to keep his eyes open as a tear streaked down his cheek and a shaky breath escaped his lips.

"No," Kagome managed to choke out, "No. You've...you've fought off worse injuries than this before. You can't just give up. Not again."

It wasn't like he _wanted_ to give up this time. More than anything he wanted to brush this injury off as nothing and carry on. The problem was that he was more human than anything. It wasn't like the night with the spiderheads where some miraculous Band-Aid fix would give him time until the sun rose again. The sun was already up and shining. This time wasn't a matter of just holding out until his youkai managed to save him. There was no youkai coming back. He was mostly human and injuries like this _killed_ humans no matter how hard they fought to stay alive. That's all there was to it.

"Just stay with me. _**Please**_ ," Kagome's voice broke on the last word as she pleaded from what sounded like a great distance away, "I love you. Stay with me."

He tried.

 _Oh_ , how he tried.

But still the world went black.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"There is nothing I can do," Sesshomaru answered in his typical stoic fashion as he stared down at the bloody comatose semi-hanyou, "His heart still beats."

"Isn't Tensaiga a sword of healing?" Kagome asked tearfully as she moved Inuyasha's head into her lap and leaned over to press a kiss on his temple, "Couldn't you just kinda wave it over him and see what happens?"

"No," the daiyoukai replied sternly as he narrowed his eyes, "The more pressing issue is the miko. Her heart is missing, yes but she too has not passed on."

"If we, uh, kill her would he retrieve his youkai?" Kagome sniffled quietly, "Or is it just gone?"

"Killing her would do many things," Sesshomaru answered in a monotonous tone, "It may restore his youkai or it may not. The dark curse that allowed your friends and Naraku to regain their memories would break. They would no longer know you. Your case is different - I believe you would remember more than they given you were familiar with your past self. Is that something you are willing to risk?"

Glancing down at Inuyasha, Kagome sniffled loudly before sending a glance at Sango who had been watching the scene with a sad, resigned look. Anora - for her part - looked defeated beyond words and was playing idly with the pearl around her neck as she listened passively. Meeting her friend's sapphire eyes, Sango sighed heavily before standing up and holding her head high, "It was unnatural for me to remember my past. I'm sure Miroku would agree. Do what you must. I accept the consequences."

"Sango-chan," Kagome whispered tearfully as she stared up at her old friend, "This might not even work. I don't want to lose you."

"It was wonderful to see you again," Sango responded as she knelt down beside the young woman who had saved her in more ways than one, "I never thought I'd have that opportunity and I'm _so_ grateful that I did but I've lived my life. I don't want to interfere with this one."

Nodding in understanding, Kagome reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around her friend who responded with equal enthusiasm, "I'm sorry."

Laughing once, Sango pulled back and gave the young woman a curious look, "For what? You've done nothing wrong."

"I'm just...sorry. For not being able to find my way back. For having you remember and now forget. For you seeing Miroku and losing him. I'm just...sorry," Kagome whispered quietly as she stared up at her friend with watery eyes. Shaking her head, Sango leaned forward and placed a kiss on her friends forehead before wrapping her arms tightly around her and pulling her to her chest, "Miroku and I had so many good years together - if we're meant to be, we'll find a way. I hope we can become friends in this life as well but if not, I just want to thank you. You and Inuyasha. You saved all of us in more ways than one. I can never repay you for what you've done but this is a start. If this will save him, it's a small price to pay."

"I'll take the dark miko with me. I'll give you a day together before dispatching her," Sesshomaru interrupted softly - the gentleness in his tone surprising both slayer and miko as they turned to gape at him before shaking off their surprise.

"Thank you," Kagome whispered as she bowed slightly before glancing down at the unresponsive man in her lap, "But what about Inuyasha?"

"I'll give him something to speed up his recovery," the daiyoukai responded - a flash of something that might have been affection flashing across his face quicker than either the miko or slayer could quite place, "He will live. That is not a concern."

Sagging visibly in relief, Kagome ran the back of her hand down her love's cheek before looking up at the man who had tried to kill his brother more than once. Actually, now that she thought about it - there were so many times he could've killed Inuyasha and just didn't. Sure, he'd injured him and they fought like cats and dogs but there'd been times when he'd thrown himself in harm's way to protect the man he'd refused to call brother.

"Will we see you again?" Kagome asked awkwardly - grimacing at her tone, "I mean, uh, would you want to come over for dinner or...something?"

"I would speak with him once he is recovered," Sesshomaru answered with a slight nod of the head before turning to the fiery red haired fox, "Are you capable of taking him to their apartment?"

"Yes," Anora answered morosely as she got to her feet, "I can do that."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

He woke suddenly, every thought in high definition. His crust filled eyes took in every ray of light and his ears were overwhelmed with the various noises blaring from seemingly every direction. It felt like he'd taken a beating - every muscle in his body ached, and his head felt like someone was kicking it in with annoyingly steady rhythm. What the fuck happened?

"Hey," came Kagome's relieved sounding voice as her hand ran through his hair and her fingertips gently traced one of his ears, "Welcome back."

"What happened?" Inuyasha croaked - his voice thick and hoarse from disuse, his face crumpled in confusion as he tried to piece together the jumbled images in his mind , "Did I die?"

"Almost," Kagome cooed affectionately as her fingers continued their delightful voyage over his hair and ears. "But luckily it turns out that I wasn't the only one who went after you."

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha murmured softly as he leaned into her touch, "She only managed to trap me because I was weak."

"Don't apologize for anything. You're not weak. You're not going soft. You're just more yourself than you have been," Kagome chided lightly as she leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against his cheek, "You just weren't yourself."

"That's not an excuse," Inuyasha protested weakly as the corners of his lips twitched upwards, "But I am glad you found me."

"Me too," Kagome cooed as she maneuvered herself to lay out beside him and rested her face in the crook of his bandaged neck and he weakly lifted his arm to rest around her waist.

"So...so you defeated Tsubaki?" he asked suddenly after a few moments of comfortable silence, "She's gone?"

"Yes," Kagome whispered back as she snuggled slightly closer and wrapped her arm around his chest, "But...but the spell she had on Miroku and Sango broke when Sesshomaru, uh, killed her. They...they don't remember anything from the past few days even."

"Oh," Inuyasha mumbled unsure of what to say or how to even express his disappointment. Finally after taking a shuddering breath, he managed to say the one sentence he could think of to describe everything he felt about losing his friends once more, "That _sucks_."

"Yeah it does," Kagome sighed miserably as she tightened her arm around his incrementally, "But at least we have each other and...and Shippo."

"True," Inuyasha snorted - an action he immediately regretted as it caused a strange coughing fit that had him expelling what looked and tasted like blood that was not his own and had him cursing quietly under his breath, " _What the hell_?"

"So...uh, Sesshomaru may have, uh, gave you with some of his blood to sped up your healing and repair your youkai," Kagome admitted sheepishly as she buried her face in his neck, "He wants to talk with you when, uh, when you're better."

"The hell..." Inuyasha repeated in an amused tone that had Kagome's lips twitching upwards, "Was Tensaiga just not an option or something? Why _that_? That's just... _wrong_."

"I don't know," Kagome soothed as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, "but honestly I don't _care_. It worked."

"I ain't complaining," Inuyasha chuckled good naturedly as he leaned into her touch and sent her his signature smirk, "Just telling ya my opinion is all."

Nodding slightly, Kagome swallowed thickly before continuing her admissions, "You still have the job for Miroku's incarnation when you recover. Ryo wanted you to know."

Inuyasha huffed as he rolled his eyes, "Maybe I should just leave well enough alone. As much as I miss them, it ain't them. I'll find something else."

"Whatever you want," Kagome chuckled before adding in a more serious tone, "But don't turn him down just yet. Just because it isn't them doesn't mean that you can't start a new friendship. Maybe you're meant to be friends."

"Destiny," Inuyasha sighed as he incrementally tightened his grip around her waist, "Yeah, maybe it is."


	26. Back to the Future Chp 26

**XXXXXXXXX**

 **Back To The Future**

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Leave it to Sesshomaru to live _here_. Manicured ivy grew over the old stone hedges hugging the crevices of the winding gravel walkway that led directly to the colossal structure. The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly autumn wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence.

" _Fuck me for even agreeing to this bullshit_ ," Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he stared up at the highly western style mansion before tucking his hands into his pocket and approaching the front door. For such a fancy home, it sure seemed to be lacking in security from what he could tell. Either that or they were very well hidden which he wouldn't doubt. Probably one wrong move and they'd be on him like white on rice. Easily making his way up the steps, the hanyou took a deep breath before knocking on the door...and have it open almost immediately by none other than that annoying little kappa.

"Holy shit, you're _still_ here!?" Inuyasha snorted as he stared down at the kappa who despite looking as though he'd aged quite a bit was still as aggravating as ever as he gasped in an affronted manner and began muttering under his breath about half-breeds needing manners.

"So," Inuyasha began awkwardly as he followed the kappa through the luxuriously decorated home through room after room, "What've you been doing all this time?"

"That is none of your concern," Jakken snapped back as he huffed and knocked on a large oak door before taking a step back, "Now Lord Sesshomaru is waiting for you. You best learn some manners between now or then."

"Okay," Inuyasha snorted as he rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest - his amber eyes raking over the withered looking kappa before snorting once more, "Listen, if you look like death's warmed over, I can't wait to see what..."

The answer to his unspoken question came quickly as the door was pulled open and there stood a not that much different Sesshomaru. Oh, he looked older but not much - his shoulders slightly broader, his face not as radically angular as it once was. He looked...warmer...which rather than reassuring was more terrifying than anything. As the daiyoukai took a step back and gestured for him to enter the study, Inuyasha cast a quick look back at the kappa - who merely narrowed his eyes in response - before walking into the earth tone room that smelled strongly of fine leather.

"Uh, nice house," Inuyasha offered awkwardly as he stood in the center of the room and stuffed his hands back into his pockets once more, "And, uh, thanks for saving me I guess. Kagome said you wanted to talk to me about something."

"Indeed," Sesshomaru replied before gesturing to an antique looking armchair, "Please sit."

Mouth popping open in surprise at the polite words, Inuyasha took a seat as he stared at the man now giving him what one might call an _affectionate_ smile. It was terrifying.

"Now, I do not pretend to know how you came to this era but I must admit I am glad to see you. After all the hardship you suffered at my hand, it is a rare gift to be able to right the wrongs of the past," Sesshomaru began in his usual emotionless tone despite his disturbingly kind words as Inuyasha stared at him like he'd grown a second head, "I do not wish to pry but tell me. How did you come to this era and still manage to stay so young?"

"How is it that you _don't_ know?" Inuyasha snorted as he arched a single brow - his general unease showing through the stiffness of his posture, "I mean, Shippo said you're like head of demon security or some shit. Don't tell me you weren't watching Kagome once you figured out she was from this era."

"Indeed I did. In fact, I am her shrine's most generous benefactor. The well must be protected at all costs. However, it stopped working about five years ago if I am not mistaken," Sesshomaru explained as though he was merely commenting on the weather, "How does it work?"

"No fucking clue," Inuyasha answered honestly as he scratched idly at the back of his neck, "We thought it was the jewel shards but there's none left. It just worked one day and I'm not stupid enough to go through it again to see whether it all of a sudden works again."

"Fair enough," Sesshomaru sighed as he too sat down in a nearby armchair, "I was merely curious. Speaking of curious things, how have you not mated the miko?"

Instantly turning a bright crimson, Inuyasha merely stared at his brother like a deer in the headlights for a moment before composing himself and narrowing his eyes angrily, "That ain't none of your fucking business."

"Again, merely curious," Sesshomaru replied - the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he took in his brother's tense posture, "I must ask that you keep in mind that many centuries have passed since we last saw each other. I am no longer an enemy. Indeed, if possible I would like to try to foster...friendly relations with you and your miko if possible."

"Wait, you want us to act like actual family after all the times you tried to kill me? Are you fucking serious?" Inuyasha snorted despite himself, "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"You may leave at any time you wish," the daiyoukai replied with a heavy sigh as he reached towards an end table and picked up a small box, "I was merely stating my own personal desires. It is entirely up to you whether you believe my intentions are honest or not. Now I have a proposition for you. I am in need of someone with your particular skills. Someone I trust. You would be compensated generously of course and in time, perhaps, there would be room for advancement."

"What's the catch?" Inuyasha answered suspiciously, "What would I be doing?"

"I am in need of someone to capture and potentially dispose of dangerous individuals that pose a threat to society," Sesshomaru answered plainly, "The missions would be dangerous. Tsubaki, for example, had been on our watch list for quite some time. There are several other familiar faces - some of which you may recognize by their past lives, and others that are rather new. Most young demons have not had the practical fighting skills that you've had and most have never killed another living being in their lives. We need someone who has done both and is an expert in that regard."

"So what I'd be like an assassin or something?" Inuyasha responded in an intrigued tone, the corners of his lips twitching upwards, "How do I know that these people aren't just people that've pissed you off?"

"There would be an element of gathering information prior to making the determination," Sesshomaru continued, "You would be the judge, jury and executioner. If that human or demon is not a threat in your opinion, you would need not do anything. However, if another dark miko - for example -came into the picture, you would decide whether or not to proceed."

"Sounds interesting," Inuyasha replied slowly, "But I'll need to think about it. Do I need to make a decision today?"

"Not at all," Sesshomaru replied, "The opportunity shall be available to you today, tomorrow and many years from now if you so choose. As a descendant of the old InuNoTaisho and a brother to the current one, the offer will stand for..."

"Wait, _you're_ _the_ InuNoTaisho," Inuyasha interrupted incredulously, "Like you're not just in charge of security, are you? Like you're...you're in charge of armies and shit, right?"

Laughing softly - again a most disturbing sound, Sesshomaru nodded once before sighing, "That is a crude way of putting it but yes, I am in charge of, uh, armies and shit."

"Fuck me," Inuyasha snorted as he shook his head in disbelief, "So you really did gain ultimate power, didn't you?"

"I am the protector of our kind in every sense of the word," Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly as he shrugged, "And I would like nothing more than to have you at my side but it is your choice and not one that needs to be made immediately."

"Well, thank you I guess," Inuyasha replied - stunned beyond measure, "I'll think about it."

"Very well," Sesshomaru replied quietly before smirking in a very Inuyasha-like way that had Inuyasha's head almost exploding from shock, "Now your miko invited me to dinner. Does Saturday work well for you? I'd very much like for you to meet the children."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"How'd it go?" Kagome asked anxiously at Inuyasha entered the apartment and immediately flopped down onto the couch, "I mean, what did he want?"

"He wants me to be an assassin spy something or another," Inuyasha muttered as he sent her an amused look, "You know, find people, watch people and sometimes kill people if they're causing problems. Also, what time on Saturday would you want to meet him and his spawn for dinner?"

"His _spawn_?" Kagome giggled before chiding him gently, "Come on, he's trying to be nice."

"I know. He's even trying to give me a job too," Inuyasha sighed - the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"Are you going to do it?" Kagome asked quietly as she furrowed her brow, "I mean, do you want to do something like that? Killing people I mean."

"I haven't made a decision yet but...Kagome, I mean, half of the quest for jewel shards was killing demons and honestly, I've killed a lot of humans in my time before that as well," Inuyasha answered slowly as he watched her face to gauge her reaction, "It would be people like Tsubaki or reincarnations like Naraku. I wouldn't be following orders either. Not really. I make the decision whether to kill them or not or whether just to observe or bring them in for questioning and the like. I'd have full control sounds like."

"Still, that sounds really dangerous and almost too good to be true," Kagome replied quietly before adding in a hopeful tone, "And you've got Miroku...I mean Ryo's offer. You could do that."

"Like I said, I haven't made a decision," Inuyasha sighed from his place on the couch as he stared up at her with an affectionate smirk before outstretching his arm towards her and beckoning her closer, "Now are you going to come here or am I gunna have to force you."

Laughing softly, Kagome moved to lay outstretched on top of him - her nose buried in the crook of his neck as she maneuvered her arms to wrap lightly around him, "I'm so glad all this is over. Now we can really start our lives together."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Inuyasha sighed happily as he pressed his lips against her temple before cupping her chin and lifting her face so he could press his lips against hers, "This is just the beginning."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _ **Reader's Choice#1: Does Inuyasha 1) Take Sesshomaru's Offer or 2) Take Miroku's Offer?**_

 _ **Reader's Choice #2: In next chapter 1) Lemon or 2) Something Else**_

 _ **COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW**_


	27. Back to the Future Chp 27

**XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Back to the Future**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It was the right thing to do. It _was_ dammit. Miroku's reincarnation deserved to live in peace. Given that there were still dangerous demons around who knew who he was there was no way that he could have them in his life without putting him in danger. It was a hard truth, a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.

"There's _nothing_ I can do to change your mind then?" Ryo asked quietly, "it's just...I feel like I've known you for years despite just meeting you the other day. We haven't talked really even and I feel like I could tell you anything."

Grimacing, InuYasha slowly shook his head even as his heart broke. It wouldn't be fair, he told himself. Miroku had suffered enough - his reincarnation didn't deserve to get involved in demonic shenanigans. He deserved a life free of trouble.

"I'm sorry but I've been offered a job by my brother that's too good to pass up," InuYasha sighed heavily as he gave the split image of his old friend an apologetic grimace, "I'm sure you'll find someone who'd be better than me anyway."

"Maybe so," Ryo chuckled lightly, "But they won't be wielding a sword."

"Trust me," InuYasha responded with a smirk, "The sword wouldn't have been all that helpful."

Shrugging, Ryo sigues heavily as he rose to his feet, "Well, at a minimum I'd like to remain in contact as strange as it sounds. You can never have too many friends."

"I'll think about it," InuYasha responded quietly - wanting more than anything to keep Ryo in his life while simultaneously understanding why that wasn't possible, "But my new job is gunna involve a lot of traveling. I don't know when I'd have time."

"That's fair," Ryo responded ruefully, "I understand."

"So I guess this is goodbye...for now," InuYasha responded as he too got to his feet and turned to leave, "I'll see ya around."

"Alright," Ryo sighed as he escorted the strange man to the door, "But you have my number if you change your mind."

Nodding once, InuYasha entered the elevator and smiled sadly as Ryo waved farewell and the doors slid shut.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The moon hung high in the sky as InuYasha laid out beside his mate and gently ran his claws through her hair. She'd filled out in the past five years - her hips wider, her breasts slightly larger among other things. He'd seen her naked on a number of occasions in the feudal era. Most by accident but...if he was being honest there were more than a few times he'd purposefully peeped. While he had never been as bad as the monk, he was still very much male and as such was a very visual creature who - _sometimes_ \- just wanted to look.

Kagome wasn't the only one who'd filled out. His abs had taken on more of a washboard look than they had during the quest for the jewel shards. His face was much more chiseled, his shoulders broader, his stature somewhat taller. They'd been so young all those years ago. So _very_ young and yet they'd accomplished _so_ much. In a way he was relieved that he'd been working in something that was much more in his wheelhouse. Fighting demons was something he knew how to do and through his skills he'd be able to provide for Kagome - who was now _very_ much his woman. Their intertwined scent filled the room where they lay sprawled out - their naked bodies completely sated and exhausted from the nights activities. He was hers and she was his and nothing was ever going to come between them again.

Never again.

 **XXXXXX**

 **FIN**

 **XXXXXX**

 **Keep an eye out for next installments: Safety Not Guaranteed and Return to Me.**


	28. ANNOUNCEMENT

**MIROKU/SANGO SEQUEL "RETURN TO ME" JUST POSTED**


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